


The 25th Annual Putnam County Hunger Games

by The_Mediocre_Writer



Category: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - Finn/Sheinkin/Reiss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-06-06 15:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15198143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Mediocre_Writer/pseuds/The_Mediocre_Writer
Summary: As a way to celebrate the first ever Quarter Quell, Putnam County decides to mix things up by choosing the six most talented individuals to compete in their newest Hunger Game. As the fight for survival begins, blood begins to fly until only one emerges as the winner.





	1. The 25th Annual Putnam County Hunger Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rona announces the only six competitors competing in the 25th Hunger Games.

Rona Lisa Peretti stood in front of a mirror, observing her appearance. Quick and efficiently, she brushed off any creases in her dark green dress and made sure not a single hair was out of place in her chestnut updo.

She took a good look at herself and smiled, amazed at how far she had come. Just 22 years earlier, she was a simple girl from District 5, only winning because of the public’s generosity and the electric whip her hometown gave her.

She closed her eyes and imagined the moment. She felt the weapon in her weather-beaten, sweaty hands. She saw the last three survivors, talking among each other and plotting her demise. She felt the warmth surge through the whip as it wrapped around all three of her foes at once. And she relived the glory of winning as she stood over her charred opponents.

“I truly was a moment of perfect syzygy.” she sighed to herself.

And now she was here. Hosting the 25th Annual Putnam County Hunger Games. Though she had done this since she won, every time she announced the players she was filled with newfound excitement, like a child on Christmas day.

Getting up from her seat, she removed the satiny red curtain from across from her, walking into the light of day. As she stood on the tiny, wooden stage, she gazed on at the districts in front of her. The first, second, and third districts looked at her with determination. The twelfth, however, seemed devastated.

Unaffected by any of them, Rona checked her microphone and began speaking.

“Thank you! Thank you! It's an honor and a privilege to announce our very first Quarter Quell!”

She shuffled her paper, reading off the script the Capitol gave her for the event.

“Unfortunately, we can't celebrate with just three living victors duking it out. So, to commemorate twenty-five years since the rebellion, the Capitol and I have decided to shake things up a bit!”

Hushed murmurs filled the streets.

“We’ve settled on making out game shorter and sweeter! But don't despair, because we're making it all about quality over quantity! This year, only six of the most talented youths from around the district will be chosen!”

As a glass bowl with six strips of paper were carted out in front of her, Rona continued to beam.

“So, without further ado, let’s see who our six lucky winners are this year!”

She dug her hand into the bowl, pulling out a single strip of paper.

“Our first contestant is someone you all should be familiar with. Our winner here last year and a District 2 favorite, give it up for Chip Tolentino!”

A Filipino boy wearing a boy scout uniform strode up the stairs with confidence. He smiled at the audience, with a few people from his home district cheering.

Rona fished her hand in the bowl yet again, grasping a neatly folded piece of paper and reading it aloud.

“Our next competitor is quite possibly the youngest competitor we’ve ever had! Hailing from District 3, give it up for Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre!”

A small, well-dressed girl with blonde braids strolled up the stairs with a smile. She waved at the audience and smiled, showing her braces to the audience.

Rona quickly snatched a piece of paper from the bowl yet again.  

“Our next competitor is a boy with two dads and a Jewish heritage! Give it up for our District 11 competitor, Jason Rosenthal!”

Nobody came on stage.

“...Jason Rosenthal died at his bar mitzvah”, a girl in a pink sweater pointed out.

Rona looked at her script with worry, checking the District 11 competitors.

“Oh dear. Is Anthony Schwinn here?”

“He died too. He was attending _his_ bar mitzvah _.”_

 _“..._ Leaf Coneybear?”

The girl slapped the redhead wearing a red cape next to her on the back. “Good luck, little bro.”

Leaf ran out of the audience, skipping up the stairs and waving to everyone he passed.

Sighing in relief, Rona turned back to the bowl and pulled out a large strip of paper.

“Our next competitor was set to compete in last year's game, but was expelled shortly before due to health related reasons! Returning from District 4 after last year's tragic setback, William Barfee!”

A chubby boy with curly brown hair awkwardly stumbled up the stairs, grumbling under his breath about his last name being pronounced wrong.

Rona slipped another neatly folded out of the bowl.

“Our next competitor won the game in her hometown before moving here. Give it up for District 1’s very own Marcy Park!”

An asian girl emotionally walked up the steps, her hands placed firmly behind her back as she lined up with the others.

Rona held onto the final piece of paper with anticipation, avoiding the coal stains stained onto the outside.

“Our final contestant is new to our county! Please give a warm welcome to our District 12 competitor, Olive Ostrovsky!”

With horror in her eyes, a small girl dressed in pink overalls quietly mounted the stairs, standing beside an annoyed-looking William.

Rona stood in front of the six children, facing the audience with the same cheerful grin as always.

“And here we have our competitors! Good luck to all of you, and may the odds be ever in your favor!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick message from future me: If you really want to skip the three chapters outside the game and just get straight into the action, click [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15198143/chapters/35666220). I personally wouldn't recommend it because some small plot points are added to it, but ehhhh it's up to you.


	2. The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The six children board the train as Rona goes over the rules of the competition.

With an army of peacekeepers blocking them from all sides, Rona waved goodbye to the crowd as she and the children boarded the train to the Capitol. As soon as each child was carefully brought in, she ushered each to their designated seats and watched as conversations began to unfold.  
  
“Marcy, right?” Chip asked the girl next to him. “Name’s Chip! Don’t worry, just watch what I do during training and you’ll be fine!”  
  
Marcy looked at him flatly before grinning smugly. “Don’t worry. I’m not nervous.”  
  
In the seats opposite to them, Logainne tapped Leaf on the shoulder and showed him what lied beyond the window beside her.  
  
“Look at that,” she sighed, “have you ever seen a skyscraper as big as that one before?”  
  
"I’ve never seen a _skyscraper_ before!”  
  
In front of the two, Olive leaned towards William.  
  
“What district are you from?”  
  
“...Shut up.”  
  
Rona clapped her hands together, alerting each contestant to her attention.  
  
“Attention, everyone! Before we arrive, we must go over the rules-”  
  
“Isn’t Panch supposed to do this?” Chip interrupted.  
  
“Chip,” she told him, “It’s impolite to interrupt. But you’re right. Unfortunately, there’s been… a change of plans.”  
  
“A change of plans? What happened?” Olive asked with a trace of worry in her voice.  
  
“It’s just that last year, there was… an incident, let’s just say. Don’t worry, though, because he’s now having a wonderful time as our newest interviewer! But enough about that! I have these for you!”  
  
She grabbed six identical sheets of paper from the seat next to her and handed them around the train. As each kid glanced at their paper, they read it aloud.  
  
“A player…”  
  
“May kill someone…”  
  
“With whatever tactic or weapon helps them live longer?”  
  
“To help prolong the game…”

“You’ll be scattered around the map!”  
  
“Alliances with other players are allowed so long as only one person remains standing at the end of the game!”  
  
“If no progress is made...”  
  
“Or things get boring...”  
  
“Then the head game master…”  
  
“Mitch Mahoney…”  
  
“Will help shake up the game!”  
  
After reading over the block of text, the children directed their gaze back to Rona.  
  
“Is that understood, players?” she asked with a friendly smile.  
  
“Yes!” they cried out in unison.  
  
“Very good! Now, I should also go over the schedule with you!”  
  
Reaching into her left pocket of her dress, she pulled out a creased sheet of paper. After unfolding it, she cleared her throat and began to read it aloud.  
  
“Because of the lack of participants this year, we will be skipping training. We don’t the game to end too early after all!"  
  
"What!?" Chip barked from his seat.  
  
"Settle down, Chip," she told him before finding where she left off. "However, tomorrow will be the interviews, with each of you having three minutes each. After that, you’ll have an hour to say goodbye to your families before being escorted into the game!”  
  
She away from her paper, smiling back reassuringly at the kids.

“And that about covers it! Now, you are free to get up and enjoy your trip! Tomorrow is going to be a busy day!”

As Rona took her seat, she watched the events in front of her unfold. Chip hurried towards Olive, bragging as she modestly nodded along. Leaf gestured Marcy over to the train window, pointing to each passing location with excitement. And Logainne politely shook the hand of an aggressive William, neither noticing the fire in Logainne’s eyes or William meekly sinking back into his seat.   


“The wonders of childhood innocence!” she thought to herself as the train continued to chug along. “To be thrown into a game of life and death and yet still be civil towards one another? It truly is my favorite moment of the game!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this one's more for exposition, quick references to the source material, and to fit the motif I'm going for. The next chapter will hopefully get into the characters, since they haven't had much time to shine just yet.


	3. My Friend, The Dictionary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interviews begin for the six as they delve into their interests, opinions, and life.

The restless sleep of each contestant was broken by a stylist breaking into their room, rushing them down the steps of the training centre and into separate Remake Centers. In no time at all, they got to work on making the kids look presentable. They covered the freckles on Leaf’s face, took out the braids and ponytail of Logainne and Marcy, removed the knots in Olive’s hair, and picked out flashy new outfits for everyone. Chip was out in no time flat. William, not so much.

As soon as everyone was ready, Rona immediately whisked the kids outside, where a makeshift stage was set up. After gesturing the contestants to six different wooden chairs, she looked outside the crimson curtains and caught a glimpse of a middle-aged man flatly introducing himself to a bored audience.

“Perfect, we’re right on time!” She told nobody in particular. Turning towards the kids, she added “Now remember, these people are sponsoring you. Do whatever you can to win them over. And don't worry! Mr. Panch and I will try and help you along the way! Good luck to all of you!”

Before they knew it, she sprinted outside the curtain to a the sudden roar of the audience. As the host and Rona began bantering with each other, the six remained completely silent as their minds raced over what to say.

The first one called to the stage was Chip. He rose with a confident smile and burst through the curtains, his golden badge-encrusted suit reflecting the light of the stage. As he waved to the audience, he was gestured to sit down by Rona.

“Chip Tolentino won last year's competition in a stunning display of brutality!” She told the audience. On the curtain behind them, footage of Chip bashing a boy's head in with a baseball bat was projected.

“Those two years of Little League really paid off!” he added. The crowd laughed for a bit, but quickly settled down.

“Mr. Tolentino,” Panch asked him flatly, “since you survived a full roster of competitors last year, how do you think you'll do with just five?”

“Well, let's just say that this is going to be the quickest game ever!”

The audience burst into a quick round of applause.

“If that's the case, who do want to take out the most?”

“Oh, that's easy,” Chip said with a grin, “That Barfee guy. He's probably the biggest loser here!

As the crowd let out polite claps, William grumbled backstage “Well, that's a common misperception _…”_

“Very interesting,” Rona added, “But enough about the game! How’s life been since you’ve won?”

“Great,” Chip told her, “but it would be better if I got more attention from the ladies out there!”

He winked to the audience, but only a handful of cheers rose from the crowd. He frowned.

“Besides that, is there anything else going on in your life?”

“Well,” he mentioned with hesitation, “lately I’ve been going through a lot of… changes.”

“Changes, you say? Like what?”

“Well, just small stuff. Like, I’m growing a lot more this year. And my voice sometimes cracks, too. Oh! And sometimes when I look at a pretty girl I-”

_Ding!_

The sound of a bell echoed around the stage for a moment.

“I’m so sorry, but your time it up,” Panch told Chip emotionlessly.

“But I-”

“I _said_ your time is up.”

Rona gestured towards the boy as he grinned at the audience.

“Give it up for Chip Tolentino, everyone!”

The crowd weakly clapped, with a few cheers sneaking in from underneath it. Chip looked unimpressed as he returned to the back of the stage.

“Up next,” Rona told the audience, “is a newcomer from District 11. Please welcome Leaf Coneybear!”

“Hey! That’s me!” Leaf remarked as he stood up. As he waved to the others, he crossed onto the stage to a chorus of applause. Dressed in a black suit covered from head to toe in cat patterns, he quickly got Rona and Panch’s attention as they ushered him to sit down.

“Now, Mr. Coneybear,” Panch told Leaf, whom was bouncing up and down in his chair in excitement, “We noticed that during the reaping that a girl next to you wished you luck. We assume that was your sister?”

“Which one,” he asked innocently “Marigold? Brook? Landscape? Or maybe Paul? Everyone seems to think he’s a girl lately, especially after he grew out his hair-”

“The redhead, Mr. Coneybear,” Panch responded as the audience burst into a fit of laughter.

“Oh yeah, her! That’s Marigold!”

Rona butted in, asking “Are you two close, by any chance?”

“Absolutely! Because my mom and dad don’t have a TV, she sneaks out and tells me what’s been going on! Plus, she’s kept me out of danger so many times! Like, there was this one time with a wild acouchi-”

The audience’s laughter was drowned out by Panch’s sudden demand of “Mr. Coneybear!”

As Leaf quickly stopped and directed what little attention he had to Panch, the interviewer sighed and continued. “So, how do you expect to win the game?”

Leaf chuckled. “I don’t! Everyone here is just so much more talented and smarter than me! How can I can compete with that?”

He leaned in towards the interviewers. “But you know what? Guess what? I’m just gonna have fun! Maybe I’ll meet some buddies along the way, too!”

The crowd burst into applause, drowning out the bell ringing and Rona announcing his exit. He waved goodbye to everyone, disappearing back to his seat. In fact, the commotion was so strong that only Marcy ended up catching her name being called next.

Emotionless as ever, she marched out the curtains. With her black hair resting on her shoulders and wearing a dark blue dress with green flowers painted on it, she looked much less formal than she usually did. Still, she kept a straight face as she marched to Rona and Panch.

“Before arriving in Putnam County, Marcy Park won the Hunger Game in her hometown,” Rona exposited to the audience as footage began to project on the back curtain again. A single shot of Marcy standing atop a mountain of corpses was shown.

As the crowd roared, Chip muttered a small “holy shit” backstage.

“So, what was it like killing all those people?” Rona asked politely.

She looked at them coldly. “I didn’t. I won because I tricked the last person alive to poison themselves. My parents insisted on that shot for the press.”

The crowd’s cheers grew silent, replaced with critical murmurs. Panch looked at her with a sudden interest, continuing his interview.

“...Are your parents Mi and Nathan Park, by any chance?”

“That’s right.”

The crowd continued their murmuring, with mentions of Mi and Nathan winning their Hunger Games floating around the crowd.

Marcy continued, unfazed. “They hated my game. They told me it wasn’t a real win, since I never killed in cold blood.”

“And how do you feel about that?”

“I agree. I didn’t live up to my potential. Even Jesus is ashamed of me.”

“But you’re planning to fix that, right?”

Marcy sat silent for what felt like the longest ten seconds of her life. Suddenly, a ding rang through the air. Without a proper exit, she got up and exited the stage without looking back. Only a few small claps could be heard through the murmering.

“A-Anyway,” Rona told the confused audience, “Our next contestant comes from a very… special family. Give it up for Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre!”

Logainne eagerly rushed onstage, her formal, navy blue dress fluttering behind her.

As she sat down, Panch immediately hit her with her first question.

“Is it true that your family is… gay, by any chance?”

“Yes,” she told them with her usual lisp,

“So… what’s it like?”

“Normal, sir…”

“Sure… in District 11. But being so close to the Capitol…?”

Logainne shot up from her seat in a huff. “Why should it matter?”

“...Is this a passion of yours?”

“Of course! I run my own LGBT club back in District 3! We talk about everything! The stigmatization of the LGBT community, issues that affect us-”

“What else do you do, Miss Schwartzandgrubenierre?”

“Well, I'm also in the debate club at my school! My two dads drill me every night so I'm prepared!”

“Interesting,” Rona added, “Are there any good topics you would like to share with us tonight?”

“Well,” Logainne mentioned, “I was thinking about one about the games…”  
  
“Oh? The games?”

“Yeah! What’s with them? It’s just an abuse of power from the government!”

As the Capitol members in the audience grew annoyed, Logainne kept going.

"They say it’s to remind the county of their betrayal, but such a system will just cause history to repeat-”

_Ding!_

Rona stood up, sweating bullets. “Sorry, Logainne, your time is up!”

“But I-”

“It was a pleasure to hear from you! I’m sure the Capitol can agree…?”

She was answered by dead silence as Logainne quietly left, slinking back into her chair.

“I did terrible!” she managed to mutter under her choked sobs.

“Nah! You did great!” Leaf told her as he walked over to wipe away her tears.

After Rona did her best to hush the crowd, she continued her next introduction.

“Up next is a contestant you should all be familiar with. Taken out of the competition last year because of an ill-timed allergic reaction, please announce William Barfee to the stage!”

After ignoring the quick “good luck” Olive quietly wished him, William shambled onstage. Wearing a tight-fitting white suit and with his hair slicked back, he almost looked halfway presentable.

As he took his seat, the audience watched in horror as footage began to be projected again, this time showing William breaking out in hives and convulsing inside the Capitol, screaming about the brownies he ate.

“Unfortunately for him," Rona tacked on, "his attack was so bad that it would just be cruel to throw him into the game like that. We’re not _monsters_ , after all!”

The audience burst out into laughter. William turned towards them an yelled an aggressive “shut up” before they grew silent again.

Panch took over the conversation. “So, Mr. Barfee-”

“Bar _fay_.”

“Because of that incident, we now know you have a long, long, _long_ list of medical issues. Do you think they’ll hinder you, by any chance?”

“Don’t be stupid! I’m not as weak as you think! This year, I’m taking it all! And I’m not letting anything get in my way!”

Rona chuckled. “I’m guessing there won’t be any alliances?”

“Why would I do that? I’m not going to win talking to the competition!”

A few cheers rose from the audience as Panch intervened. “Back to the original question, Mr. Barfee-”

“BAR _FAY_.”

“...Because you missed last year, do you have any tricks up your sleeve that you never got the chance to use?”

His eyes gleamed as he stretched his right foot out in front of him.

“The Magic Foot, baby!”

“The crowd burst into delighted chatter.

“May we see it, by any chance?”

“Of course not,” he snapped, “I’m not letting anyone backstage steal my secrets! Just wait until the game starts to see what happens!”

The crowd clapped as the bell sounded yet again.

“Give it up for William Barfee, everyone!”

William threw his arms out in frustration as he left the stage. As he sat, Olive leaned over towards him.

“Nice job out there!” she told him with enthusiasm. He flitted through a half dozen different reactions before settling on a half-hearted “whatever” as soon as her name was called.

She meekly walked out, fiddling nervously with the pink dress she wore. Once she sat down, Panch began his final interview of the night.

“Miss Ostrovsky, how's life in District 12?”

“Well,” she told him reluctantly, “it's really quiet. I mostly just spend my time alone, reading.”

“Right. What do you read, exactly?”

“Oh, anything! We don't have much at home, but I love to visit the library and see what they have! But my favorite book is my dictionary!”

“Your… dictionary, Miss Ostrovsky?”

“That’s right! I love everything about it! The indented borders, how everything is always in place, how I can be lost for hours in its words-”

“Is there anything _useful_ you can use, Miss Ostrovsky?”

“W-Well,” she stated, peering nervously into the crowd, “I’ve, um, read a few survival books and-”

She quickly got up and rushed towards the edge of the stage. As she did so, she pointed towards a woman standing by a chair.

“Excuse me, please, ma’am ” Olive politely told her, “could you not sit in that seat? I'm really sorry, but I saved it for my dad.”

Rona looked at her with intrigue.

“...Your dad?”

“Yeah! He always runs late! Ever since my mom’s gone to India he’s been working super hard at the coal mines!”

“It’s too late for him to show up now,” Panch coldly told her, “the night's almost-”

“Panch, shush,” Rona swiftly told him. He blushed sinking into his seat.

“That’s alright,” Olive told him, “He said he’s going to show up at the after party!”

Rona looked at her for a while, looking concerned. Before she could say anything else, a small ding filled the air.

"G-Give it up for Olive Ostrovsky, everyone!" Rona told the crowd as Olive quietly returned to her seat. 

As the two interviewers waved to the crowd, Rona quickly ducked backstage. Without hesitation, the six kids crowded around her.

“How did it go?” Chip asked her.

“Yeah! We didn't… upset anyone, did we?” Logainne added.

Rona eyes wandered to each child before coming to Olive. With a grin, she spoke.

“Wonderful. But don’t get comfortable just yet! After the party's over, You’ll be in that game! So, enjoy yourselves for at least one more night!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make up for the shortness of the last chapter, take this super long one! Also, don't worry, the actual game is gonna start in the next two chapters or so.


	4. The First Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The after party goes off without a hitch as Olive looks for her dad.

As the others scurried off the stage to meet their loved ones with open arms, Rona and Panch remained in the crowd, looking out at the abyss of people.

“Lovely bunch of kids this year,” Rona told him sympathetically.

He frowned. “I couldn't care less. All these kids seem like little freaks to me. The only people worth sponsoring are Marcy and Chip, and even that's being generous.”

Rona grew dejected at his response. He noticed and became flustered, doing his best to mend the situation.

“B-But anyway, who are you cheering for?”

Rona turned away from the crowd, looking at Panch directly and doing her best to avoid eye contact with the girl wandering around the party.

“It… It isn't professional for guides to choose favorites. Everyone needs to be treated equal.”

He smiled at her weakly, slowly clutching her shoulders as he gazed into her beautiful, beautiful eyes.

“...You’re a good woman, you know that?”

With a moment’s hesitation, she ripped herself away from Panch.

“...I'm gonna go get some punch.”

While Rona rushed offstage, Panch remorsefully muttered “Goddammit, missed my shot again…”

Meanwhile, Olive dashed across the damp grass in search for her father. As she peered around the crowd of intimidating strangers, her eyes rested on a familiar face in the distance scowling at two attractive adults. Olive approached with a smile.

“Hey, Barf! Have you seen my dad, by any chance?”

After getting his attention, he took a moment to eye her up, his expression rotating between distrust and intrigue.

“...No. I haven't. I’ve just seen Dad and Sheila.” He gestured towards the two adults after he spoke.

“Oh… well, thanks anyway!”

Before she had the chance to leave, William loudly blurted out a loud “Ostrovsky!” When she turned back to him, his expression continued it's rotation.

“...You weren't half bad out there. I did better, but it was alright.”

Pleased by the half-hearted compliment, she grinned. “Aw, thanks!” She replied as she continued her search.

Continuing to shyly maneuver her way through the crowd, she came across Chip in the distance, being doted on by two aging adults.

“It’s okay if you don’t do well this time, sweetheart!” The woman told him.

“That’s right,” the man began saying, “just being in the game again is winning!”

“Guuuuuuuuuuys... “ Chip moaned as he tried to pull himself away from the two.

Olive approached the three nervously, with Chip breaking into a smile as she approached.

“Um, hey Chip… Can I-”

“Eyy, Olive! You're looking pretty hot tonight in that dress!”

Olive’s face grew red as she tried avoiding running off.

“T-Thank you, but have you seen my dad?”

“Oh. No I haven't, but what I _have_ seen is a stunning woman-”

“Alright! Thanks!”

As she ran off, he frowned.

With a bit more franticness she returned to her search, her attempts continuing to be in vain. It was only after seeing Marcy reading a Bible in the corner that Olive stopped momentarily.

Rushing up to her, Olive asked “H-Hey, Marcy, have you-”

“I’m busy right now.”

“This is important! Have you seen my dad?”

“No. Now please leave. I need to atone for my failure.”

Olive did so, now more concerned than ever. Her frenzied search continued until she came to a large cluster of people surrounding a single figure. Attempting to find an opening, she overheard two voices break from the crowd.

“Leaf. Listen to me. You can’t treat this like a game. The whole county does, but you can’t.”

“Aww, but it’s going to be so much fun! I’m seeing the world, meeting new people-”

“No you’re not! If you don’t get it together you’re going to-”

The second voice stopped.

“...Take this.”

“Neat! What is it?”

“Just something to remember me by when you’re gone. Think of it as your tribute token.”

“Wow! Thanks Mari!”

Suddenly, Olive broke through the group and looked at the two, speaking to them in a desperate tone.

“Leaf! Please tell me that you’ve seen my dad!”

The two looked at each other before the girl spoke.

“Sorry, but nobody's here. Maybe try-”

Before she could finish, Olive pushed her way through the crowd and continued her panicked search.

After what felt like centuries, Olive found her last competitor being drilled by a redhead while an African-American man stood idly by.

“In case of a forest fire?”

“Dig a hole and crawl in it!”, she shot back with a small lisp.

“Good! Cornered at a force field!?”

“Use it as a weapon!”

“Good! Eat poisonous berries!?”

“You suck out the poison and-”

“No! Have you been practicing at all!?”

“S-Sorry-”

The African-American man placed a hand of the redhead’s shoulder.

“Aren’t you being a bit harsh, Carl?"

“It’s okay, Dan Dad,” Logainne replied in place of her other father, “I deserve it! If I can't survive this, then… Then…”

Her eyes welled up with tears and she held onto her fathers, refusing to let go.

Olive approached, asking her two fathers more than Logainne herself.

“Excuse me! Have you-”

The loud ding of a bell rang through the air as Panch spoke through his microphone onstage.

“The hour is up, everyone! Make your way into the Justice Building immediately!”

A barrage of Peacekeepers surrounded the guests and escorted them away. Meanwhile, Rona returned from her trip to the punch bowl to lead the kids to their fate.

After the children were ripped of their formal attire and were placed into their casual wear, Rona lead the six to different elevators, where each stood on a metal plate.

Once the other five were placed into their chambers, Rona remorsefully ushered a sniffling Olive into her own. Although Rona knew she should of turned away and just let the game begin, she instead stood by her one last time.

“...Olive? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

With this question, Olive lost all composure and broke down in tears.

“My dad didn't show up! It's the last time he might ever see me and he _didn't show up!_ Why does he always do this?”

Rona gave a sympathetic smile as she crouched down, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“It’s alright, sweetheart. In fact, you know what?”

“What?”

“My parents didn’t come, either.”

“...Really?”

Rona nodded.

“I was devastated. But do you know what I did?”

Olive shook her head.

“I fought like never before. If it meant going back home to see him again, it was all I needed to survive.”

Olive cleared the tears from her eyes while Rona tacked on more reassurance.

“Don’t worry! I'm sure you'll do great! And, besides, I'm sure your parents will sponsor you when the going gets rough!”

Olive calmed down fully, smiling one last time at the former winner before the glass elevator closed her off.

In the last words at least five of them would ever hear from the outside world, Rona spoke.

“Good luck, everyone! Let's make this the best Quarter Quell the Capitol’s ever seen!”

And with that, they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, NOW the game's gonna start!
> 
> Also, a note from future me, I changed a minor thing about the clothing because it's gonna fuck me up if I don't.


	5. Pandemonium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game finally starts. Chip tries taking down a worthy foe, Marcy questions her decisions, William hides from someone he recognizes, Logainne changes Olive's mind, and Leaf doesn't know what he's doing.

The participants stared through the moving glass elevators, wondering how things would go. Logainne was nervous. Chip was confident. Leaf was excited. Marcy was unfazed. William was determined. And Olive was ready.

The elevators seamlessly glided towards their destinations, each passing the other as they traversed to six different locations.

Then they were there.

The elevators came to a stop, blocking out the children via a glass wall that lasted the longest ten seconds they experienced up to that point. They took a moment to analyse the landscape that was to be their new battleground and - for the unlucky few - grave site.

On all sides of them were lush trees, their leaves painting the landscape with a emerald hue. Although a few kids got the occasional scene change of an overgrown, grassy terrain or a riverbed, every location was littered with the aged brown forestry looming over them.

The six took a moment to admire the view, allowing the glass cage they were in to protect them for a few seconds. Then, without warning, their only source of protection was stripped away as the door opened.

Chip was the first to step out of his chamber, not bothering to watch as it slunk back into the darkness as he traversed the woods. As he crept deeper and deeper, his thoughts began to keep him company.

_Okay, Chip, you’ve got this. There’s only five people to take down this time. Just do what you did last time._

Chip thought back to his final moments of glory last year. His arm clenched the bat his sponsors bought him as he watched the light in his competitors eyes fade.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too early in the competition for sponsorships just yet. Until nightfall, Chip was completely defenseless.

However, as he glared at the tree branches, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Chip approached the large oak tree in front of him, climbing up it’s gnarled roots and branches. As he reached the top, he set his sights on the thick branch just in his grasp. Using all his force, he broke it off. He then climbed down, looking at his new weapon.

Continuing his journey, Chip held the branch near him as he looked around for any traces of movement. His investigation proved useless. That is, until he saw a faint figure approaching.

The former winner darted up the nearest tree as he watched them approach. As she came into clear view, Chip could only think one thing as he peaked from the leaves.

_OH SHIT IT'S HER._

Marcy moved around the area, paying no attention to oncoming danger and instead focusing on the blackberry bush near Chip’s tree. She approached, her back turned to him as she began her picking. Chip felt his hands shake as his mind raced yet again.

_Okay, Chip. Sure she’s cute. But cuteness isn’t going to stop her from killing you. It's either her dead body our yours._

With that, he mustered up the strength to leave the tree, getting closer and closer to her as he descended from the branches.

She still remained unaware.

_Just a bit more, dude._

Still unaware as ever.

_A bit more._

Unaware.

_A bit mo-_

Marcy turned around, pinning him to the trunk of the tree as she crushed his windpipe. Chip gasped for air as he felt the life slowly drain out of him. Marcy looked detached from the situation at first, but as his breath became slower and slower she began to look worried. Finally, she let go of his neck, yet still keeping him pinned to the tree.

Chip frantically breathed in the air he lost as he began rationalizing to himself again.

_Damn, she’s better than I thought! And as cute, too! Plus, she didn’t kill you! Maybe she wants to form an alliance-_

She then kicked him in the balls.

Chip let out a small whimper as he sank to the ground, with Marcy running off. Ignoring his sobs, she thought about what her mom and dad might react with.

“You’re really doing this again, Marcy? Avoiding a murder? Don’t be such a disgrace! You were so close, too!”

Still, she refused to show any emotion about the ordeal, instead focusing on climbing the trees to find a place away from her situation for the night.

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

On the opposite end of the forest, William was in the middle of his own adventure. Although he looked ridiculous swiping his foot across the ground as he shuffled on, his face was as serious as ever.

As his foot hit one patch of dirt on the ground, he recoiled from it. Looking around, he cautiously continued, yet still sensed the same horror as before. With disgust, he turned away from the path, instead veering to the left.

With the same erratic movement, he kept going until he found a large field of tall bushes, some made of grass and some growing berries.

_Finally, a place to stay for the night!_

His victory was short lived as the sound of footsteps approached. William jumped into the grassy bushes nearest to him as he spied on the person approaching, ready to pounce with just his fists if needed. But when he peered out, he nearly choked.

Olive Ostrovsky wandered around the bushes, glancing at both the beautiful fruit and the exotic plants growing around her. She would occasionally mutter inaudibly to herself as she held a small portion of each plant in her hand.

While William remained hidden inside the grass, he tried avoiding observing the girl for any longer than he needed to. However, he kept finding himself failing.

As he kept looking, there were new discoveries about her. Like how she talked into her hand from time to time. Or how her reserved demeanor changed into an excited one as soon as she picked the plants with her dainty hands. Or how-

William's thoughts ended abruptly after he caught a glimpse of his own hands. They were red and puffy, growing by the minute.

_These aren't zebra plants, are they? I'm allergic to the zebra plants-_

As William had a quiet panic attack over his growing reaction, Olive continued to look around the area, muttering to herself.

“Let's see, red color? Circle shaped? These are probably poisonous!”

William's eyes began to water.

“A seeded berry with a purple shade. These are blackberries! Perfect!”

He tried his hardest to avoid sneezing.

“Cloudberries! And nobody’s even touched them yet! Maybe that survival handbook paid off after-”

He failed.

A loud sneeze erupted through the forest. Olive quickly put her guard up, turning her attention to the bush. Before he could see the outcome, William looked away as he braced himself for a battle.

Step.

He paused.

Step.

Did he really want to do this?

Step.

_Sure you do. Why are you even questioning it?_

With that, he jumped out of the bush, ready to take down Olive then and there. However, what greeted him was an empty pathway and the sounds of steps fading further away. William adjusted his glasses, thinking to himself as his allergies died down.

_Yes, of course. She was probably intimidated by me. Didn’t want her ass kicked by a future winner._

Still, he awkwardly lingered around the area in case she returned. Once several minutes had passed, however, he gave up and moved on to find a less allergy-triggering location.

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Olive explored the forest with her haul of fruit, muttering to herself about the strange noise she heard moments prior.

"Maybe I should of looked at that bush? ...No, it was probably just my imagination…”

She finally stopped her journey at a small riverbed, taking the time to lower herself towards it and take a sip. However, in the middle of her drink she noticed a strange elongation in the dirt. She crawled her way over, clutching it.

“Ow!” it cried as the ground suddenly lifted up. What once looked like a normal patch of dirt was now revealed to be a young girl covered head to toe in mud. The figure looked at her in horror just before Olive tackled her to the ground. Fighting to get out of her grip, the figure spoke with desperation.

“Please! Don’t do this! It’s exactly what the Capitol wants!”

Olive hesitated for a moment before continuing her tackle, moving her hands towards her throat.

“I don’t care about the Capitol! I care about winning! I’m not letting my family’s chance of happiness slip by!”

The girl began to grow lightheaded, letting out her words in short gasps.

“Winning… Isn’t… Happiness…”

These three words were all it took for Olive’s eyes to grow wide.

“...What?”  
  
Olive loosened her grip as the girl began to breathe normally again. Wanting to avoid another near-death experience, she carefully thought her words over before speaking again.

“Every year, people are told that winning will help solve all of their problems. But it never does! Nobody bothers to research what really happens after people win: they come back as shells of their former selves. Even if they win, they lose. Have you ever wondered why there’s only three winners still alive?”

“...That’s not true. I would of heard about it-”

“It was in the book _The Case Study of The Victors_! It was published last year! Surely you read it!”

She did, but refused to admit the stranger was right.

“B-But Rona told me-”

“She does that every year! She gives the contestants false reassurance to help motivate them! Have you seen Rona actually _care_ about a contestant outside of the game before?”

From the countless books Olive read, she couldn’t remember a single instance.

“Did she ever stop to visit any of the winners once they were ignored by the press?”

Olive continued to rack her brain.

“Did she ever try and comfort a victor after they came back broken?”

Olive continued to think. However, she knew she already knew what the answer was. Reluctantly, she let the stranger go.

“S-Sorry about that. You’re right. This is pointless.”

The girl smiled.

“It’s alright. I wouldn’t have known either unless my dads didn’t show me that book!”

“Well… thanks anyway. I’m Olive.”

“Logainne.”

Before the two really had the chance to know each other, Logainne pointed to the trees looming away the river.

“Now, if you want to avoid a fight, I suggest you hide up there for a while. As for me, I’m going to try to bury myself a bit better this time.”

Olive gave a small “thanks” to the stranger as she parted ways with her. Afterwards, Logainne began her attempt to blend in better, thinking one last thing as Olive disappeared from view.

_Thank goodness for those debate practices!_

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

While the sun began to set, Leaf continued wandering around aimlessly. Taking in everything with newfound wonder, he struggled to keep his plan intact as he walked.

 _Okay, first I'm gonna make allies with some people! That way, we can can survive_ and _become buddies! Then, I'm gonna-_

_Ooh! Berries!_

Leaf approached a field of berries, looking over each with curiosity.

_Cranberries! Those are good to eat! ...Or maybe those are poison berries? Let's see, they're both red, but… uh…_

Leaf sighed and collapsed to the ground in frustration.

_Maybe I was right! I'm not smart enough to be here! How am I even gonna-_

His questions were stopped by a sudden trance. He zoned out, the world around him fading around him as a tall, redheaded girl appeared from the ether. She spoke to him strictly yet softly.

_Leaf. Hang in there. Trust me, no matter what anyone says, I know you're smart enough to do this. Now, just gather the things you know already. You can learn everything else later._

_Hey Mari! How’d you end up here?_

_...You’re in one of your trances again, little bro._

_Haha, I guess I am!_

_Uh, dude. You should probably snap out of this now. I don't want you dying because you were too busy talking to nothing._

_Alright! Thanks, Mari! Catch you later!_

_No problem, my dude. But you really need to stop doing these. If you did this at the interview, you’d be-_

Leaf woke from his trance, returning to the unoccupied part of the forest his mind left. With regained hope, he began picking.

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

As nighttime fell, Chip limped on, still clutching his sore nuts. With tears in his eyes, he tried reassuring himself.

_Sure, you haven't found shelter all day. Sure, that Marcy girl rejected you. Sure, you're probably not gonna be able to have kids ever again. But that sponsorship is gonna make it up for you!_

Chip waiting under the shelter of a nearby tree as he fantasized about his gifts.

_Maybe they'll give me a baseball bat again! Or some sort of new weapon! Like a trident or something!_

Ten minutes passed.

_...Maybe it's a lot of food. It wouldn't miss the usual deadline otherwise._

Twenty minutes passed.

_...It's probably a mail blockage. All that fan mail probably can't handle being shipped at once._

Thirty minutes passed.

Chip angrily kicked the tree.

 

Meanwhile, Leaf looked over his findings. Although pleased with what he accomplished, he still felt worried.

_Okay, I got the food. But can I survive the night just off of-_

_Hey! A present in the sky!_

Leaf watched as a silver box floated down on a parachute, eventually landing at his feet. Leaf picked it up, reading his name is golden letters.

He beamed as he ripped it open, revealing all sorts of food.

“Cool! This will definitely-”

He was distracted by not just one present, but hundreds littering the sky. As they landed at his feet, Leaf opened each to discover and endless amount of food, weapons, and medicine.

He looked at the sky and told his donors with complete bliss “Thanks you guys! You're amazing!”

 

On the other end of the forest, Marcy was high up in the trees, still mulling over her failure.

_You're dragging down the family name, Marcy. If you die, all you'll show for yourself is an unimpressive win and a kick to someone's crotch. Listen, tomorrow you need to do something about this._

Without warning, a single package floated towards her.

She carefully opened it to see what was inside, greeted by a plentiful amount of food. She dug around the box, also finding a small bottle of acid and a knife.

Although she was thankful for the food, the weapons filled her with more shame than she had already.

_Even the Capitol thinks you're wasting your potential. Why else would they give you an easier way to kill?_

_...I need to fix that._

With that, she emotionlessly put the veil inside the pocket of her dress and the knife by the food she stole earlier. She then tried to distance herself from her regrets by going to sleep.

 

Underneath her tree, William was scratching the rashes on his arms as he continued to slide his foot along. As he did so, he went over the places he tried hiding at in his head.

_Let’s see… Can’t go in zebra plants… Or peanut plants… Or up acorn trees… Or in lingonberry bushes…_

_...Maybe I’m not good enough for this-_

He stopped, then shook his head

_No! Sure, I can’t go anywhere without breaking out in hives, but I’m still tougher than half the people here!_

Before he could question his words, a silver box fell from the sky and landed at his feet. He picked it up, pleased with himself.

_See? Even they know._

He ripped it open, revealing a box of allergy medication with a small letter attached to it. When he saw it, his eyes lit up.

> _Dear William_
> 
> _Sorry I couldn’t make it to the party! I was at the hospital. Anyways, you’re doing great, sweetie! Here’s a little something from me!_
> 
> _Love,_
> 
> _Mom_

William beamed.

_You’re the best, mom! There’s no way I’m losing oh wait there’s more._

> _P.S. I know you’re having a rough go, but you should ally with that pink overall girl! She seems nice!_

William frowned.

 

Elsewhere, Logainne crept out of the mud in search of food. However, her trip was short-lived after a single package fell towards her. She stopped her mission to open it.

> _Logainne,_
> 
> _Hi sweetie! Your father and I are doing okay! Protests have stopped for a bit, so we’ll probably be okay for a while!_
> 
> _And, Logainne, make sure not to push yourself too hard! Remember your anxiety!_
> 
> _Anyways, love you sweetheart!_ _  
> _ _  
> _ _Dan_

Logainne shook her head as she looked at the sky, hoping to be seen by a camera.

“No, dads, I _have_ to push myself. I need to survive. For you two. Sorry if that upsets you…”

With that, she folded and pocketed the letter and continued her journey.

 

Finally, a short walk away, Olive sat in the trees. She had watched the presents fall since they began and thought back to what Rona told her just before her elevator closed.

_“I'm sure your parents will sponsor you when the going gets rough!”_

Olive remained hopeful, looking at the sky.

Seconds passed.

Then minutes.

Then hours.

Finally, Olive lost hope.

_...Looks like Logainne was right after all. Rona just wanted an interesting game, didn’t she?_

However, as she went to bed, she made one last attempt to regain hope.

_...But maybe tomorrow night will be different._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, the game finally started! Now I can go back and link this chapter for those who want to skip the first three!
> 
> Anyways, I was a bit iffy on the Logainne and Olive bit, particularly about how the conflict ended, but I hope it's fine.


	6. I'm Not That Smart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Chip discovers Leaf's supplies and Marcy finds her first potential victim, two very strange interactions occur.

Leaf woke from his deep slumber the next morning, with his endless amount of gifts being the first thing he saw. He smiled, thinking of how much everyone believed in him after all.

However, his grumbling stomach interrupted his newfound hope.

_Time for breakfast! Now where did I put those berries?_

Leaf shifted around in every box he could find.

_A spear? Raisin would love that!_

_Cool! A net! Maybe I can use it to catch fish!_

_Wire? Nice, but I don’t think I can eat that!_

After countless other attempts, he finally found his day-old fruit in the bottom of a gun-filled box. He ate it, savoring every moment and thanking the heavens that he didn’t accidentally pick any poisoned ones.

He turned back to the mess of boxes around him, littering his area of the forest with endless piles of equipment that, while useful, was cluttering up way too much space for his liking. Leaf shook his head while asking himself an important question, knowing thousands were now watching his every move.

_What would a smart person do?_

He waited for his trance to take him back to Mari, who he knew would guide him with open arms. Sadly for him, it never arrived. So, with a bit of hesitation, he reluctantly took matters into his own hands.

 

Chip marched through the forest in anger, lamenting yesterday’s betrayal.

_It’s complete bullshit! How could nobody donate to the clear winner!? No gift from my folks, no pictures from cute girls, nothing! Don’t they know that I’m-_

His rant was cut short by a silver box on the ground, it’s contents facing away from Chip. Frantically, Chip picked up the box with greedy excitement at what gifts he could steal. Sadly, nothing was inside.

However, before he was about to storm off and kick another tree, he caught sight of a trail of boxes, each leading closer and closer to the bottom of a shallow cliff. He followed them, checking them and growing more disappointed, until finally he reached the edge. Looking down, he saw opportunity.

Below was a shallow drop leading to more forest. In it, a redhead was emptying a box filled with guns into a pile of weapons. He then placed the box neatly into the small tower he created of them before moving on to another, fuller one.

Chip was taken aback by the long stretch of piles, each taller than him. Weapons were the closest to him, each varying from familiar weapons to futuristic mechanisms beyond Chip’s imagination. A few feet away, supplies were in a slightly smaller pile. And a range of different foods were split into smaller piles to keep track of them all.

Chip watched the boy play around with a small knife he pulled from the box, slowly imagining himself in his shoes. With that much stuff. With that much power.

Grabbing his makeshift bat tightly, Chip knew what he had to do.

After a short slide down the cliffside, Chip walked through the forest, hiding behind the large trees whenever he felt he was about to be spotted. Soon, the boy grew closer and closer.

Chip was soon ten feet away.

Then five.

Then three.

Then-

_SNAP!_

Chip felt the twig under his shoe break into two as the noise it created blasted through the silence. He quickly ducked behind the safety of the nearest tree trunk, praying the stranger didn’t notice his presence.

Unfortunately, as they approached the tree, Chip realized Jesus wasn’t helping him anytime soon.

Chip continued to hold that bat, waiting for the stranger to _just_ be close enough to crack his head open. But instead of stepping forward, the stranger made themselves known through speech.

“Hey! You’re that Chip Tolentino guy from the interviews, aren’t you!? You were amazing back there!”

On one hand, Chip knew this could very well be a trap to lure him out. But on the other hand, Chip really, _really_ liked the praise.

The other hand won.

“Thanks,” he told the stranger as he removed himself from the back of the tree, hiding his bat from view just in case, “I wanted to change it up a bit. Keep it fresh for the ladies out there.”

“That’s what my sister Mari said! You were a lot more confident this year! Apparently last year you almost wet yourself when you-”

“I THINK YOU’RE THINKING OF SOMEONE ELSE DUDE”

While Chip tried to damage control for the cameras, Leaf admired Chip for a moment.

_Wow! A winner is standing right in front of me? What a guy! And here I am, having no clue what I’m doing! I wish I could learn to be as great as him!_

_...Maybe I can._

“Hey, Chip! Can I ask you a question?”

“Don’t see why not. Shoot.”

“Can I… team up with you!?”

Chip was taken aback, his mind going through it’s own assessment of the situation.

_Dude, why would you do that? Have you seen this guy? He looks like a dork! What type of guy wears blanket capes? If you hang around him, you’re definitely not gonna have any sponsors!_

_...But of course, taking out this guy in the final two will be a piece of cake._

“Absolutely. You seem pretty cool… uh... _”_

“Leaf! Leaf Coneybear!”

“Right. Leaf Coneybear.”

_What type of hippie last name is “Coneybear?”_

Without warning, Leaf went in for a hug, squeezing him tight before he had time to grab his bat.

“Yippee! I hope we can be the best allies ever, buddy!”

“Yeah, you two…”

While the two hugged, Chip eyed the supplies out of reach and reassured himself.

_Just four contestants to go, Chip._

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Marcy moved from branch to branch continued her journey through the trees, spying on the landscape from above. Brandishing a knife in the belt of her dress, Marcy waited until she saw the first signs of life before she struck. As she moved, her family’s words continued to parade in her head.

 _Marcy, you’re trained for this. You’re athletic, intelligent,_ and _speak six languages! So why are you wasting time up here when you can take everyone else down?_

Unfortunately, she couldn’t answer her own question. But luckily she didn’t need to as the first sign of life all day finally appears from below.

While lowering herself to get a better view, what once seemed like a small blip was soon revealed to be a chubby boy dragging his foot along the ground. Marcy watched with fascination as the boy shuffled along, turning a different direction as soon as his foot hit an unsavory area. She then slowly approached, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

 

William continued his strange technique, beaming with newfound confidence.

_With my brain and my foot, I surely can’t lose! Time to kick some ass!_

Unfortunately, his thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of something heavy falling on top of him. He collapsed to the ground, turning his head around just enough to see an Asian girl was on top of him.

_How did she- The foot should of- Whatever. This should be an easy fight._

William kicked her off as hard as he could, sending her toppling to the ground. As she struggled to get up, he continued his assault, aiming for her head. Her face made contact with his shoe, creating a freshy-formed bruise on her cheek. As she sank to the ground, William towered over her, unaware of her making her way towards her belt.

_Looks like I’m going to have the first kill of the game! Everyone else should watch out or I’ll-_

He stopped after getting a knife thrown into his shin.

A high-pitched squeal came out of his throat as he frantically took it out, unaware that by the time he did Marcy was already back on her feet. Once the knife was removed, William only had time to notice Marcy a bit too late as she kicked him into the nearest tree.

He hit the trunk with a thud, unable to get up from the pain of his stab wound. Marcy picked up the fallen knife and approached without worry, pinning him to the tree with one hand and clutching the handle of the knife with the other. She felt her knife get closer and closer to his neck, but struggled to make a move.

_Come on! What’s stopping you!?_

_Just slit his throat and this will all be over, Marcy!_

_You can’t repeat what happened yesterday with Chip Tolen-_

She stopped, her brain beginning to veer in a whole other direction. Finally, she lowered the knife, still keeping William captive.

“You’re… William Barfee, right?”

“Bar _fay.”_

She slammed the back of his head into the tree.

“...But Barfee works too.”

“Listen. I need your help.”

“Then you can forget about it. I don’t help _anyone.”_

Unfazed, Marcy pulled the veil of acid from her pocket, opening it and pouring a few drops on some twigs beside her. They corroded away instantly.

“You want this stuff poured on your foot or what?”

“Y-You’re a very good negotiator. I’ll help, I guess...”

“Good. Now here’s the plan: I need you to help me kill Chip Tolentino.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kill Chip Tolentino" would be a pretty great Kill Bill parody tbh. 
> 
> Anyways, I can't pace an action scene for shit. But at least my casual banter is on point?


	7. The Second Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William and Marcy team up, but only for their own benefit. Meanwhile, Chip gets fed up with Leaf's instant attachment to him and decides to go off on his own mission early.

William looked at her in confusion.

“...What?”

“I need your help killing Chip Tolentino,” she repeated. “If we don’t, then he has a better chance of winning. He’s the most experienced out of all of us.”

“And you need me _why,_ exactly?”

She pointed at his foot.

“I know what that foot can do. I need it to help me do this.”

William’s face grew red in anger.

“Bullshit! How my foot works is a well-kept secret that just can’t be used and observed by-”

“Judging by how you moved around the forest, I’m assuming your foot can sense where people have been. And I’m guessing it’s based off of recency.”

William’s face grew red, but for a whole new reason.

“N-No… You’re wrong…”

“I _saw_ you use it. If you wanted to keep this a “well-hidden secret”, running in the other direction after your foot hit a shoe print in the ground probably wasn’t the way to do it.”

“Touche…”

“Good. Now are you in or are you out?”

She clutched the knife again, bringing to close to his neck again as a threat.

“...Or am I going to have to do this the hard way?”

William took the opportunity to think his decision over. In any other circumstance, William would turn her down in an instant. Even _if_ she was going to try and slit his throat again. He _hated_ the idea of alliances. He could barely get along with people in his own district, let alone competitors he knew he’d have to kill in the finale. So how would working with the girl who nearly killed him be any different?

However, this was Chip Tolentino she was talking about. The guy who called him a loser during interviews. The type of person William knew he would get into a fight with over how weak he was, how his allergies were going to slow him down, how his last name was stupid, how he could never win the game…

William made up his mind.

“Ugh, _fine._ ”

“...Really?

“Sure. Whatever. But as soon as we’re done, I’m breaking this off!”

“Wow. Okay. I was expecting to have to torture you or something. In that case, let’s get going.”

William struggled to get up as he wiped the blood trickling down his leg from his open wound. After he did, he asked her a simple question.

“Hey… whatever your name is...”

“Marcy Park.”

“Right, Marcy Park. Can we fix my stab wound before we get going?”

She sighed.

“Later. Let’s just get moving first.”

And they did, walking directly beside each other and constantly looking over at the other to make sure they weren’t up to something.

Marcy didn’t trust him one bit. She already knew his dislike for alliances and knew hers was no different. She’d likely have to stay on her toes around him, especially after the deed was done. He was pretty dangerous, especially with that foot of his knocking her down in seconds.

If anything, killing him might of made the journey easier for her. But she knew, deep down, what she was doing. She was just postponing killing for another day, yet having someone around to make sure that she would follow through.

 _...Mom, Dad, you’re right. I really_ am _not good enough for this._

Similarly, William didn’t really like her either. Even if he was a bit impressed by her skills, her abilities made him feel… jealous. She was amazing in battle and he, meanwhile, barely made a dent with her.

His mind went to a small area he really wanted to cover up from the outside world. It wondered if he really deserved to be in a competition around people like her. However, like he usually did in situations like those, he shook it off.

_If course you are. She may have skill, but I have brains. And a magic foot!_

_She better be prepared after this is over!_

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

As the two took a lunch break after unpacked Leaf’s supplies together, Leaf looked at Chip in wonder as the former winner rattled on about nothing.

_Wow… What a guy…_

“It’s really fucking weird. Sometimes, when I sleep, my bed gets all wet.”

_He’s the most charismatic guy ever! I’m surprised he’s not dating anyone right now!_

“And before you ask, _no_ , it’s not piss. I’ll fight you on that.”

_Plus he’s so skilled on the battlefield! Maybe he can teach me how to be just as good sometime!_

“I’m guessing it’s with the puberty shit, but I have no clue what’s going on. And no clue why it only happens when I dream about hot babes.

_And he such a great guy to talk to! He always seems to have the best stories!_

_“_ So, yeah. Now, can you quit it with that look, please? You’ve been staring at me ever since we got on lunch break.”

Leaf broke from his thoughts, telling Chip something he intended to say before he got sidetracked.

“Sorry! I was just thinking… Well… If you and me can get out of here, let’s be buddies!”

Chip choked on the pecans he was eating for a moment before clearing his throat.

“What?”

“Well, it’s just that you’re super cool and I haven’t met anyone else like you. Maybe we can visit each other's districts! Hang out and read together! Heck, maybe enter a spelling bee someday!”

“Dude, listen to yourself. You _know_ there can only be one winner, right?”

“Y-Yeah… But we can throw it!”

“No! The Capitol will kill _both_ of us if we do that!”

Leaf reacted in a way he felt very rarely: worried. 

“But you’re special to me! You’re…"

Leaf seemed to lose the words at first, but quickly found them again.

"You’re the only friend I’ve ever had besides my family! I’ve been stuck at home for most of my life! They’re amazing, sure, but they’re the only people I’ve ever talked to! And now that you’re here I’m just so… you know…”

While Leaf trailed off, Chip continued to feel nothing for Leaf.

_What’s with this guy? He’s acting like were the best of friends in this short amount of time! Geez, maybe I really should of killed him back there…_

_...No, dude. The Capitol isn’t giving presents to_ you. _Just… get this done early. If you get rid of the other four, then you can get rid of_ this _guy._

_Now, who’s the best person to take out of the competition?_

He didn’t need to think that hard to come up with an answer.

Without any indication he was going to do so, Chip walked away from Leaf, grabbing a backpack from the endless pile of supplies. He then filled the pack with rations and various weapons. Although usually unperceptive, Leaf noticed Chip packing his things and approached him with confusion. 

“Chip? What are you doing?”

Chip, at this point annoyed by Leaf’s very presence, spoke.

“I’m helping you, duh! If we take out that Marcy chick, we’ll have a lot less to worry about!”

Unfortunately, Leaf realized what this meant.

“Don’t leave! You’re the smartest one here! Without you, I’ll-”

“Do you want to be the final two or not?”

Leaf knew he had a point, but still looked glum. He momentarily dug through his jacket, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

“Okay, but if you don’t come back, take this.”

Chip reluctantly walked forward, taking the paper and immediately placing it in the pocket of his jeans. Leaf continued without prompting from anyone.

“It’s my token! My sister gave it to me, but I think you should hold onto it! Think of it as a good luck charm!”

“Right…”

With a small wave, Chip wished Leaf farewell as he walked further into the woods and out of view. While he walked off, Chip thought about his decision.

_What a dork._

_...But it’s pretty cool that he likes me. Haven’t had any of_ that _in this game yet. Hell, maybe when I get back we can sort of,_ kind _of, be friends._

_But probably not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmmm, that's some good old-fashioned melodrama. Also, I may or may not have destroyed the most popular ship in this fandom from happening in this story. Whoops. 
> 
> Next chapter, a bit more focus will be brought back to Olive and Logainne. I swear.


	8. Magic Foot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William and Marcy search for Chip using William's odd technique. Meanwhile, an unexpected obstacle hits the contestants.

“This is my token. It’s a wooden carving of Jesus.”

Marcy and William continued their now-half-hour search along the forest floor, Marcy attempting to break the tension between her and her ally.

“I got it from my parents. Sometimes, I even pray to it in times of distress.”

William, still testy about being stuck with her until Chip was killed, shot back with “That’s retarded!”

“And having a magic foot _isn’t?”_

“Fuck off!”

“Do you _want_ me to stab you in the leg again?”

She pointed at his injury, now wrapped in a makeshift leaf bandage. He remained as annoyed as ever.

“Yeah? Well, do you want _me_ to murder _you_ in cold blood? Because, uh, I can totally do that!”

Marcy stopped talking and began to dig through her dress pocket. At first, William was smug about getting the last word in, but his smile faded after seeing her pull out the veil of acid.

“Listen. If we keep fighting then we’ll never get this done. So stop or I’ll have no choice but to use this.”

Already imagining his skin frying and bubbling from the acid, William stopped arguing with his ally. However, as he got back to his mission, he muttered under his breath about how unfair the deal was.

The two continued to move forward as William glided his foot across the ground yet again. Marcy watched the entire time with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

For the longest time, the two found nothing. However, after what felt like centuries, William violently recoiled from a patch of grass his foot landed on. He then approached it yet again, pivoting around the area before facing left. He gestured Marcy his way as he followed the invisible pathway.

 

After a half-hour of searching around the forest for the biggest threat in the game, Chip was tired, disoriented, and cranky.

_Fuck these woods! Why couldn't we have somewhere out in the open to fight? Like a beach! Or a marsh!_

Finally ready to take a break, he ducked down under the shade of a nearby tree, opening his pack for some food to eat. He grabbed some packages of M&Ms and Chewy Goobers and ate them gluttonously. However, mid-chew he heard footsteps in the distance.

Paranoid, he jumped into the closest hiding spot he could find: A bush only a few steps away. Safely nestled inside, he carefully peaked beyond its shallow barriers to see what was happening outside.

In the distance, he saw two people walk past. The first was a fat guy trying to dance but failing miserably, only gliding his foot on the ground. Recognizing the person, Chip felt less than threatened.

_God, that Barf guy is a bigger loser than I thought._

However, when the other, prettier person stepped into view, Chip nearly had heart palpitations.

_IT'S HER!_

Marcy looked around the area, following William closely as he pointed around.

_Huh. Would of never guessed someone as cute as her would have standards so low._

Marcy continued to follow William as he rounded the bend, getting closer to where Chip was hiding by the second. But Chip wasn't worried.

Then, the two began checking the nearest bush they could find. But Chip wasn't worried.

Then, Marcy pulled out a knife from the belt of her dress, stabbing through the bush like a crazed madwoman with a lust for the blood of a previous victor.

Now Chip was worried.

With haste, Chip reached for the bag on his back for a gun, a spear, or just about anything else he could use to take down the threat coming closer and closer down the trail.

Despite the heat of the moment, the thought of his future kill filled him with immense satisfaction. Without putting himself in the line of fire, he'd be able to kill both his biggest competition and the loser unfortunate enough to be allied with her. With a quarter of the competition gone, _he’d_ be the guy to beat! _He’d_ be the one to get all the love and support from the Capitol! _He’d_ be able to not be stuck with an annoyance like Leaf!

He grabbed only air.

_...I left my backpack outside when I was eating, didn't I?_

Sure enough, he did. Out of arm’s reach, his bag sat in the shade of the nearby tree, surrounded by candy wrappers.

The two continued approaching, but Chip’s confidence was replaced with a single word.

 _Fuck_.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Logainne continued picking the strange-looking plants that grew just off her riverbed hiding spot, looking at the flower in her hand closely and drilling herself about what it might be.

_Um… This looks like pigweed… No! The leaves don’t usually look like that! It’s hogweed! Come on, Logainne, get it right! You’’l poison yourself if you don’t!_

She threw the plants aside and continued to berate herself as she returned back with what little she got. While she sat down and ate, she looked around her hiding place and allowed the serenity of the river to calm her nerves. However, they soon returned when a hypothetical situation crept up from behind her.

_What if they find me again? What if they try and kill me in this exact spot? How do I avoid fighting, but still stay alive?_

She racked her brain in desperation for an answer. However, a sudden, sharp wind distracted her.

_Wind? But this is an enclosed area! How can it-_

“OW!”

Logainne felt something coarse in the wind continue to hit the sides of her face. Placing a hand on her cheek, she stared in horror at the sight of blood. She was confused at first, but watching as the small grains of sand carried in the wind begin to fly by more rapidly than before, she came to a horrifying realization.

This was a sandstorm. And she was in the line of fire.

_Alright, Logainne, consider this your first test! Now, what do you do when you’re close to an approaching sandstorm?_

Logainne scrambled to think of the answer, finally coming back to a night of training with her and her dads.

_Logainne! What do you do if you’re stuck in a sandstorm!_

_You shield your face and try to make it to higher ground!_

_Good!_  

With that, Logainne knew what she had to do.

Rushing towards the nearest tree, she let the sand continue to cut her skin until she made it. Then, she struggled up the branches. Logainne shielded her face with her hand as she climbed, feeling it begin to burn from the beating it took. Finally, she reached safety at the top of the branches.

After catching her breath, she immediately picked some leaves off their branches and used them to bandage her cuts. She then looked down to see if the coast was clear.

To her shock, the whirlwind was much bigger than she suspected. Although she was in higher ground, many smaller trees were hit by the sand as their branches flail wildly in the wind.

Logainne hid in the trees, praying to herself that she’d make it out alive. Luckily for her, the storm only stuck around for a few more minutes before moving on. With a sigh of relief, she climbed down, glad her survival skills were paying off. However, once she reached land she realized she was facing an entirely new problem.

As far as the eye could see, her riverbed was covered in a thick layer of sand. The river she was using for drinking water? Sand. The dirt she lied in to avoid detection? Sand. The plants growing around the area? Sand, sand, and more sand.

Trying to find any possible way to salvage the situation, Logainne felt how she was beginning to feel routinely now: nervous. She had no home. No place to safely hide away from the competition when the coast was clear. No way to peacefully survive off of just plant life and water alone.

Although her anxiousness nearly caused her to break down in tears, she mustered what little rationality she had and racked her brains yet again. From the chaos, only one small thought came to her.

_Find a part of the river that isn’t covered with sand, Logainne!_

Although a bit shaken up, she decided to roll with her sudden idea, walking off to wherever the sand ended.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With her food supplies perched comfortably a few branches below, Olive was ready to wait the game out and avoid a battle below. However, with nothing else to do, she sat in her tree and looked at the sky, questioning her decisions.

_Maybe I was wrong. Maybe that girl was just trying to trick me into not killing her. Maybe I should be down there trying to win instead of hiding up here. Maybe I’m throwing away a perfectly good chance for a perfect life._

She thought back to her family. Ever since she was little, things had been rocky for her and her parents. And things only seemed to get worse once her mom left for India. Since then, she hadn’t heard a word from her mom and her dad kept missing events in her life.

She thought about how he missed her eleventh birthday, leaving her to celebrate alone in an empty house. She thought about Christmas, where her dad forgot to set up the tree and get her any presents. And she remembered staring at the calendar on the wall while her dad was at work, waiting for her mom to come back and for things to go back to normal.

_...If I win this, he won't ever have to work again. We’ll live happily in the Capitol together! And maybe we can find mom again and-_

She stopped, attempting to rationalize with herself.

_...No, that's not possible. Even if we win, we still won't be happy. Remember?_

Lost in her negative thoughts, Olive instinctively reached for her dictionary and intended to read it, as she always did when she needed to be comforted. Sadly, she felt only leaves.

What snapped her out of her trance, however, was the sound of rattling from below. Looking down from her perch of branches, she saw what appeared to be a violent sandstorm sweep through the area. And it was getting closer.

At first, Olive was confused about how a sandstorm could possibly happening in a place like the woods, where almost zero sand was around. Then she remembered a tiny section of the rules she almost overlooked the first time she read them.

_“If no progress is made or things get boring, then the head game master, Mitch Mahoney, will help shake up the game”_

Olive suddenly thought that rule was pretty unfair. But she didn’t have time to mope about it. She needed to get her food as quickly as possible and duck back up until the coast was clear.

So, she moved away the leaves and branches, getting a good view of the branch she left everything on.

So, she stepped down.

And immediately saw her food be swept away in the wind.

She retreated back up to the top of the tree, now thinking how this rule was _really_ unfair. Having no food, no idea how long the storm would be around for, and no clue what to do now, she looked up to the sky and asked two people in particular a favor.

“Mom, Dad, please help me make it through this game alive.”

However, in the back of her mind, she didn’t know if they even watching at _all._

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William was still searching, eager as ever to both end his alliance and to take a bit of the credit for the first death in the game. And it was all thanks to his foot! In fact, not even Marcy’s shoulder-tapping was getting him down.

“I’m busy working _magic_ over here, Park!”, he told her with enthusiasm, not bothering to turn to her.

She tapped again.

“I said I’m busy, Park!”, he snapped while continuing his work.

She tapped one more time.

“Are you deaf!? I said-”

He was immediately stopped by the sight of an approaching sandstorm, with a smug-looking Marcy pointing right towards it.

“OH SHI-”

Chip watched from the bush as William seemed to run off in the other direction. At first, he was pleased that he wouldn’t have to deal with the humiliation on _William_ being the one to find him, but after Marcy ran by he grew a but nervous.

And as a violent wind hit the bush he was hiding in and he began being blasted by sand from all sides, he was petrified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally admit that the Logainne and Olive sections are a bit tacked on, but ehhh it's setup for more shit later down the road.
> 
> Also, we'll be checking in on Leaf a bit later. And believe me, that's gonna be... fun.


	9. Pandemonium (Reprise)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan.

Several violent minutes later, the storm had left for a new part of the forest.

For a moment, all was silent. But soon a large tree rustled its branches. Then, Marcy jumped out and onto the thick layer of sand below. Although she had some cuts on her, she remained unfazed and looked up at the branches above.

“Are you alright, William?”

William descended clumsily, his skin bleeding from his countless cuts and his glasses chipped from the sand.

“Never better.”

As he landed onto the sand as well, Marcy scoped the area. Outside a few lucky bushes and the taller trees in the area, everything was trashed.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think your technique will work anymore,” she told him, somewhat relieved that her plans had fallen flat.

Despite the circumstances, William was still adamant.

“That’s a stupid suggestion! Just hold on and I’ll get things back on track!”

William continued pivoting his foot around the sand. After a few minutes of searching, he still hadn’t found anything. Impatient, Marcy tried intervening.

“It’s fine. Let’s just go our separate ways and-”

“No! I’ve got this! The magic foot has yet to steer me wrong!”

He continued, this time digging below the surface to find a pathway. After a good chunk of sand had been removed from the area, he went over it once more. Still, nothing happened.

“Look, I could care less about your foot failing to-”

“H-Hold on, alright!?”

He continued digging, this time more nervously than before. As he continued to fail to find his path, he began to mutter to himself insecurely. Marcy, meanwhile, was still unfazed at the foot’s sudden failure.

“I’m serious. I really don’t mind. I’ll just do this in my own time.”

“U-Um… Just… Just give me a second…”

While William meekly muttered “C’mon foot, don’t fail me now” under his breath, Marcy continued to watch him fail time after time again.

 

Chip was bleeding heavily from the storm and buried to the waist in sand, but alive.

With a burst of adrenaline, he grabbed as many leaves as he could and covered up his cuts. After blood stopped oozing down his body, he allowed himself to peek through his hiding spot yet again.

_Goddammit, they’re still here._

Sure enough, there they were, only a few feet across from him. William was sweating bullets as he pivoted inside a hole dug in the sand while Marcy rested in the shade of a tree, unimpressed. Despite being one wrong move away from being spotted and killed, Chip tried to hold out hope.

_Maybe if I wait long enough, they’ll just give up already…_

So, he sat in the bush, refusing to move until he saw the two move on.

Five minutes passed. William was digging through the sand, still trying to find that damn pathway. Marcy yawned. He felt like doing the same.

Ten minutes passed. William was back to dragging his foot, this time through his new pathway. The only remotely interesting thing that happened was seeing him snap at Marcy, but even then he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

A half hour passed. William was still searching. Chip thought about how he wished he had a bag of peanuts he could throw at him. He’d probably get caught, but at least it would do _something._

_...God, I miss Leaf already._

He couldn’t believe what he was thinking, but it was true. Sure, he was uncool. _Really_ uncool. But at least he was interesting.

Although he only knew him for a short time, Chip could already list off the amusing things about him. His stupid handmade clothes. The odd little trances he would go into. His endearing smile. The little token he gave him before they parted ways.

_Oh, yeah. He gave me that token of his, didn’t he?_

He dug through the sand to reach his pant pockets, eventually pulling out the folded piece of paper. He hadn’t noticed the first time around, but the feel of the paper was much stiffer than normal paper. Confused, and just bored, he decided to open it.

Sure enough, inside was a picture of Leaf surrounded by at least a dozen other people. He waved to the camera as the people around him smiled, each having a message written beside themselves.

_Really, this is it?_

Still, he kept looking at it. Besides, with no weapons and no chance of escape until the intruders outside were gone, how else would he pass the time?

He looked closer at the people surrounding Leaf. In the front row, two children much younger than Leaf had failed to keep still, one of which was hugging Leaf and one of which seemed to try and rush out of frame. Chip read the descriptions both children left for Leaf, starting with the one clutching onto him.

> “If you win, bring me back a spear!” -Paul

He moved on to the child running away.

> “You gotta beat that Chip guy, okay?” -Raisin.

_Little shit._

He moved onto the next row, where an older man and an older woman were blocking in three kids around Leaf’s age. He didn’t know why Leaf’s mom looked like Logainne or why his dad looked like Barf, but he shrugged it off and read their notes.

> “Sweetheart, I know winning will be difficult, especially since you weren’t first choice, but do your best!” -Mom
> 
> “What your mom said.” -Dad

He moved onto the three standing beside them.

> “Good luck, you big old dummy!” -Pinecone
> 
> “Hope you aren’t the first one dead!” -Brooke
> 
> “Don’t mess this up!” -Landscape

_Wow. What a bunch of assholes._

Finally, he saw the back row. At first, it seemed empty, with only a few lawn chairs covering the area.

But then he saw _her_.

Near the far right of the screen, a gorgeous teenage girl was smiling at the camera. As her emerald-green eyes shone on the sunlight, her rose-tinted lips broke into a small smile for the camera. Her silky red hair flowed down her back like satin, resting comfortably on her pink, fuzzy sweater. Right next to her was her note.

> “Good luck, little bro. I’ll be watching you any way I can.” -Marigold

Chip could feel the blood rush to his cheeks as he began to think longingly for her.

 _Marigold… That’s a really lovely name…And a_ really _lovely sweater…_

Caught up in his wild, growing fantasies about his newest token of his affection, he failed to feel his pants begin to rise.

 

Marcy continued to watch William flounder around, still failing to find his way. With absolutely no progress being made and with the knowledge that trying to get up would just lead to him yelling at her, the only source of stimulation she had was watching what was right in front of her.

With this sudden setback to his supposed "secret weapon", William was now a completely different person. Gone was the ill-tempered boy who only joined her out of spite. In his place was an insecure guy watching his greatest technique fall apart at the seams. Although his drop in hubris was nice to see, it really wasn’t satisfying enough to keep her from being bored.

Ignoring him, she looked at the scenery for the 11th time in a row. Everything was still the same. Same sand on the ground, same battered trees, same brown material sticking out of the bush across from her...

_Wait a minute._

She quickly got up and walked towards the bush. Although William noticed and began to speak up, he lost the nerve as she ignored him, pushing him aside to get to the strange protuberance barely sticking out of the bush. One with a very familiar pattern.

Having a good idea as to what was inside, Marcy carefully grabbed the knife in her belt, all the while staring at the protrusion to make sure it didn’t suddenly disappear.

Then, in one fell swoop, she cut if off.

Immediately, an agonized scream pierced the forest. The bush shook for a minute before Chip Tolentino himself fell outside the bush, covering what was left of his dick after Marcy’s ultimate groin attack.

Locking eyes with Marcy, he looked horrified as he tried crawling away through the pain, attempting to reach his backpack in one last hope of defending himself. Unfortunately, Marcy was much quicker, grabbing his shirt and lifting him off the ground with surprising ease.

She held the knife close to her side as she looked into his eyes. She saw, for the first time, genuine fear in him.

At that moment, she considered backing down. Letting the chase begin yet again. Or, hell, just letting him bleed out from his groin shot. However, William’s cries from behind her brought her back to reality.

“What are you waiting for!? Just kill him already!”

_That’s right. Everyone is watching, aren’t they? William, the Capitol, my parents..._

The last thought filled her with dread. She could already imagine her parents then and there, staring at their television screens and disapproving at the fact she was even struggling with the decision.

“He’s _right there!_ C’mon!”

They had killed thousands before in their own respective games, so watching their daughter chicken out of her chance to redeem herself? She would probably be shunned if she made it back alive.

“If you aren’t going to do this, I will!”

All the sleepless nights she spent perfecting her craft, all the emotions she bottled up, all the praying she did to not ruin this for her family, it would all be for nothing.

“Are you even listening!?”

But now, she had a chance to make everything worth it. To finally redeem herself for her disappointing win. To have one more step towards winning. To be perfect to her parents.

So, with her knife, she stabbed Chip Tolentino. Continuously.

By the time she finally stopped, all her pent-up frustration had left her body. With a clear head, she looked at what she had done. Replacing the cocky boy scout she first met, Chip was now a petrified victim who’s entire body was riddled with stab wounds. And, to Marcy’s shock, he was still clinging onto life, looking directly at her with bloodshot eyes.

With a shred of guilt, she let go of him and let him fall back to the ground. William rushed up to get a better look at what just transpired, but she had already begun walking past, refusing to look back at what she had done. Seeing he was still holding to life, WIlliam almost considered getting the job done himself. However, he was stopped by Marcy’s voice.

“Leave him be. He’ll die soon anyway.”

Knowing just how much of a threat she was now, he did. Walking away from the gruesome display, both failed to notice Chip mutter one last thing in the air.

_This.. isn’t fair… I won last year..._

And with that, he finally died.

The sound of a bell loudly rang through the arena, but Marcy was too swept up in her own thoughts to notice. William, meanwhile, was more focused on Marcy herself. He had seen everything, after all. The chopping, the stabbing, the abandonment, everything. The rumors about her were true: she really _was_ a force to be reckoned with. So much, in fact, that she could very well win the competition in _seconds._

_And I can’t win with those types of odds._

Marcy was ahead of him now, still lost in thoughts. All it would take would be cracking her skull and his odds of winning would be greater.

So, with rapid speed, he brought his foot to her face and knocked her to the ground. Although the bruise on her cheek was now bleeding from impact, she was still fine. Discontent, William prepared to strike yet again.

What he didn’t expect, however, was for her to lunge him to the ground. Unprepared, he fell but immediately tried getting up. However, Marcy overpowered him, leaving him pinned. He tried to read her expression to see what she was planning, but she was as stone-faced as ever. Finally, she addressed him.

“Why are you like this? I tried trusting you, I really did. You could of just walked off and I would of at least waited until tomorrow to find you again. But you just _had_ to do this, didn’t you, _Barfee_?”

“It’s Bar _fay_!”

She was a bit impressed with how he could continue to be so anal even in the face of potential death, but knew something had to be done to stop him before he had the chance to kick her again.

She raised her knife to his chest. She could already imagine the outcome, with his body being filled with holes, him slowly bleeding out, him staring at her with the same, horrified eyes as Chip as he died, likely seeing her as some sort of inhuman monster…

She stalled, reconsidering her decision and slowly lifting the knife away yet again. She still knew she needed to do _something,_ but creating another Chip Tolentino situation definitely wasn’t it.

She looked around for an idea. The trees, bushes, and sand on the ground gave her little ideas.

But looking at his magic foot certainly did.

William saw where she was looking and struggled to get up. However, she paid no attention as she held down his leg, cutting into the leather of his shoe.

Now mortified, he writhed around. However, she was much more powerful, continuing to both keep him tethered to the ground and reach into her pocket.

His face grew pale as soon as she pulled out the same veil of acid she threatened to use on him earlier. And it grew even paler as she opened it.

Then, it twisted in pain as she poured it into his shoe.

She finally let go, but William was so overcome with pain that he hardly noticed. He screamed in torment as the flesh and muscle of his foot melted, unable to do anything about it.

Instead of land a killing blow while he was down, however, Marcy simply walked off. Without his special technique nor a working foot, he was good as dead. She gave him about a day before he was found and killed by another participant, and even that was being generous.

So, she left the scene, ignoring WIlliam’s howls of pain and avoiding the fresh body she created in the bushes.

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

As William continued to scream, three figures watched from the comfort of a surveillance room. Although every inch of the arena could be seen, all three were focused on only two screens: the one with an agonized William and one with Chip’s dead body.

An African-American man with dreadlocks turned towards the other two, unfazed at what just transpired on the battlefield.

“It’s official: Chip Tolentino is dead.”

From the two people he was addressing, the balding redhead spoke.

“Are you sure, Mitch?”

“Yeah, Panch. No breathing, no twitching, nothin’. He’s just _dead_.”

“Huh. I would of assumed he would of lasted longer.”

Beside him, a well-dressed woman spoke to him cheerfully.

“That’s what I love about this game! The fellow competitors being so great that they can take out last year’s winner just like that! With him gone, there's hope instilled back into them! The knowledge of the possibility of winning!”

She sighed romantically.

“It really _is_ my favorite moment of the game!”

“Rona, you say that every year.”

“I know, Mitch. But it's true this time!”

Under his breath, Mitch muttered “Oh God” and silently prayed for his community service to be over as he downed his forty.

Panch, meanwhile, was much more supportive, turning to Rona and trying his best to avoid blushing while speaking to her.

“Rona, I must say you were right. The game’s been going quite well so far. Perhaps, you and I can watch it together sometime, just the two of us...?”

Mitch intruded into the conversation.

“I dunno, there’s a couple of problem kids out there…”

While Panch shot daggers in his direction, Rona was much more level-headed.

“Oh? What do you mean?”

Mitch pointed to two different monitors. The first was of a blonde girl following what remained of the sand-filled river. The second was of a girl in overalls scouting the tree she was in, looking for food but failing.

“We can’t let those two live. They might try to overthrow the Capitol or some shit like that. Maybe if I throw in a blizzard this time-”

“NO!”

Mitch and Panch turned towards Rona, who had broken her usual calm composure. Trapped in an awkward situation, Rona tried explaining her way out of it.

“I… I was just thinking… Sure, Logainne is unsalvageable, but not Olive! You both saw her today, right? She seems to be rethinking her stance! She can be saved!”

“...Wow, Rona. I’ve never seen you this supportive. It’s… remarkable.”

“Yeah, don’t you usually just comfort everyone ‘til the game starts?”

With all eyes on her, Rona had no choice but to compose herself.

“Well, normally I do. I admit that. However, seeing the girls talk about how I just leave tributes to suffer on their own once they’ve won, it was a wake up call for me, you know?”

Mitch seemed unaffected by her small speech, but Panch, as usual, was invested.

“Of course! Someone as lovely as yourself should do as they wish to better themselves!”

The compliment was interrupted yet again by Mitch.

“Hey, check this out! I think something’s happening with the fat kid!”

Interested, Panch crossed the room.

“Good! Maybe he’ll die, too! Now, move over and let me see.”

With their attention now being on the monitors, Rona relaxed. Hiding her investment in one of the participants was difficult, but she hoped her white lie helped cover it up.

Admitting to herself that she was growing interested in one of the kids, and one that could be a potential rebel no less, was difficult for her to grasp. And letting the others know was even worse.

But there was nothing she could do about it. All she could do was watch and wait. Maybe by then, Olive would learn the error of her ways.

_And maybe then, I’ll finally give her that present._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was the most graphic thing I think I've ever written. I hope I've done a decent job disturbing you all.


	10. Prayer Of The Comfort Counselor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone feels the effects of the first death and the events that transpired during it.

Leaf rushed through the sandy landscape in a frenzy, allowing the trance of his sister to lead the way. Instead of the kindhearted advice she would normally give him, however, she was now more critical than ever.

“Leaf, are you crazy? You can’t just leave all those weapons unattended!”

“But Mari, Chip might be in trouble! You heard that bell too, right?”

“Yes, but ending up in a sandstorm isn’t going to help! You’re lucky to just be alive right now!”

He didn’t want to admit it, but Leaf knew she was right. He would of been dead if he hadn’t have climbed that tree a few miles back. The cuts all over his body proved that.

“Besides, Why are you risking your life for someone you’ve just met, anyways?”

“Well, he’s really cool, has done a lot of boy scouting... I think he mentioned how he used to pee the bed? Oh! And he’s super strong and super handsome and-”

“Leaf!”

“...Sorry.”

With the type of seriousness he wasn’t used to from his sister, she stared him dead in the eyes and told him something to bring him back to the reality of the situation.

“Listen. You can’t trust him. He’s helping you now, but he’ll kill you if you make it to the final two.”

Leaf knew this was true, too. However, he still felt the urge to defend his new best friend.

“Don’t say that! I don’t know how, but I’m going to find a way to get us both out of here! Maybe we can make a suicide pact! We’ll eat poison berries and get saved at the last minute!”

Instead of arguing with him, Mari just looked at him sadly.

“...Leaf, why does this guy mean so much to you?”

"I already told you! He's-"

"Those are just small details. Lots of people back at home have those, too. What's _really_ making you want to do this?"

Leaf was taken aback by her question. However, he had an answer.

“Because… Because, like I said, he’s amazing. Meanwhile, I’m just… me."

His face brightened all of a sudden.

"But maybe, if I can become friend with him and ignore everything around us, I can learn! With his help, I can be smart!”

Despite pouring his heart out to his sister, she still remained unconvinced.

"Leaf, I need you to make a decision. Who are you going to follow, your sister or a stranger you've met in the game?"

He really didn't know which to choose. So, he remained silent, hoping his sister wouldn't scold him for it. 

Instead of an argument, however, she just sadly shook her head.

"I can't help you if you can't help yourself. It's up to you now. I know you can do it."

With that, she disappeared.

Leaf lunged out of his trance in shock, trying to return back to the comfort of his sister to help guide him.

At first, he waited for the trance to take him again. Nothing.

Then, he tried summoning her himself. Still nothing.

Then, he apologized to her, telling her about how he was sorry and how he was scared and how he wasn’t smart enough to live without her. Once again, nothing.

Unfortunately, try as he might, he couldn’t get her to return. It was only him now, alone in a sand-filled landscape.

With no other option, he addressed the only person still able to help him now: himself.

_Okay, Leaf! Think! How can you find Chip?_

His eyes bounced over the area, taking in every tree, bush, and piece of debris around him. Quickly moving from one thing to another, his eyes finally caught sight of something in the distance.

With nothing to lose, Leaf walked towards it for a better look. As it drew closer into view, he could finally make out what it was.

A path of footprints, leading from a rut of sand in the ground to the bush directly in front of it.

Optimism filled Leaf once again as he applauded himself over being just as quick-witted as his friend Chip for once. Then, he rushed over to the bush, unaware that the prints in the sand were a bit bigger than Chip’s.

“Chip! It’s over! You don’t have to hide anymore! We can finally be together again!”

He got a bit closer, following where each footstep took him.

“Maybe when we get back you can show me everything you know! I’d love to hear it!”

He got a bit closer, approaching the blood-stained bush.

“...Chip?”

He opened the bush and looked down at what greeted him.

Strewn inside was the body of a boy around his age. His entire body was riddled with stab wounds, most of which had blood already congealing. Behind his glasses, his eyes were foggy and seemed to stare off endlessly into the abyss. And just beside him, there was a very familiar picture.

Leaf stared at the body, petrified.

However, he soon nervously laughed it off.

“Chip, is this one of your practical jokes? Because it looks pretty real!”

At first, nothing happened. But with a sudden twitch, Chip’s head perked up from the ground, staring at him with the same confident smirk he was used to seeing.

“Yeah, you caught me.”

Leaf instantly cheered up and went in for a hug, embracing the body and ignoring how his clothes were now stained with blood.

“Chip! I thought you were dead!”

“Nah, not me. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”

“That’s good! ‘Cause we really need to head back to the camp! I kinda left all the weapons unattended…”

Instead of the usual verbal beating he got, Leaf was instead told something much different.

“Hey, whatever. I’ll just teach you how to a better job when we get back.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yeah. Just drag me back to camp. I’m pretty tired.”

“Can do!”

Glad to have his friend back, Leaf dragged the body away, blissfully ignoring the trail of blood it left behind.

 

With Leaf and Chip gone, silence filled the forest yet again. That was, however, until a bush nearby began to rustle, only ceasing when William finally crawled out of it.

He scanned the forest, ready to return to his hiding spot at the smallest provocation. Luckily for him, there was nothing. So, he allowed himself to relax for a moment as he collapsed on the sandy ground underneath him.

Although calm on the surface, his mind was racing a mile a minute. He thought about how embarrassing it was to be hiding in a bush when he should be picking off the competition. He thought about how weird the stranger who just talked to Chip’s dead body was. And he remembered what he wanted to do when he could finally see properly again.

_The foot. I need to check the foot._

So, pulling off his shoe, he did.

Inside, all he saw was a burned and melted pile of flesh, only keeping its shape by clinging on to the bones.

His face went white. Putting his shoe back on to avoid the grim reminder of Marcy’s attack, a new, more insecure thought occurred to him.

_...What am I going to do now?_

Although he felt like sinking to the ground, he knew that all that would do is get himself killed. Sure, the technique he was riding on to win was stripped away from him, but he couldn’t let it get to him. The only thing he could do was go out there and take out every other participant still remaining.

So with a boost of newfound confidence, he picked himself of the ground, ready to compete more than ever.

Then the pain returned, sending him crashing to the ground.

Although dejected, he tried again. And again, his foot ached when it even attempted to touch the ground, sending him back down to the ground.

Now a bit more worried, he got up again, this time avoiding putting pressure on his foot. But he lost his balance and collapsed once more.

With no way to properly get up, William lied in the sand, helpless as his mind began going back into its darker area he wanted to avoid acknowledging.

_Well, now you have no magic foot and no way to walk. You’re gonna die._

Still, he refused to give in to his negativity, looking around for one last way to get up and no longer be an easy target.

It took his only a second at glancing at the sturdy branches of the nearby tree to get an idea.

William crawled over, keeping a careful eye out for any signs of danger and he got closer to the tree. Then, with as much strength he could still muster, he leaned himself on the tree, careful not to brush his foot against it’s hard surface. Then, with one last desperate attempt, he tried grabbing the branches just low enough for him to reach.

At first, the branches swayed away, taunting him with the fact he couldn’t just jump to reach them like any other participant. But he finally got a hold of two of them, breaking them off with a little bit of effort.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he tucked his new crutches under his arms, hoping they would support his weight. Testing them out, he hobbled around the forest and became more and more confident again as he realized he was no longer a sitting target.

Still, though, he was still feeling insecure. After all, how could he take someone in a fight? All his opponent would have to do was take away his branches and it was game over.

_Hmmm… Maybe I can find a gun or something…_

So, he began wandering around, looking for any revolvers or spears or anything else he could use to attack from a safe distance. Despite his efforts, he found nothing.

That is, until he rounded the corner.

At first, nothing was out of the ordinary except for the newly-formed blood streak the stranger created. But then his eye caught an orange fabric hiding underneath a thick layer of sand.

Giddy, William approached it and began digging it out. And he became even giddier as he realized that what he was digging out was a fully-packed backpack.

He flashed a quick smile towards the cameras, hoping his real mom saw the footage and was just as proud as he was right now. Then, he sat beneath the nearest tree and ripped open the contents of the pack.

_Food! Hell yeah! I’ll… just have to throw away the peanuts._

_Is that… medicine? It’s medicine! Now mom won’t have to send me more!_

_Water bottles! Thank God because the lake is miles away!_

And, of course, his reactions to seeing the weapons was not short of enthusiastic, either.

_A gun! I hope there’s- Yes! There’s bullets, too!_

_A spear! My mom would love this!_

_Hand grenades! It’s a miracle!_

Just as he was done seeing the countless variations of weapons, however, he was surprised as ever to see two very unique items stuffed at the bottom of the bag.

 _Wire? And fishing nets? What the hell was_ these _for?_

Still, the mere possibility of what they could accomplish wasn’t something he wanted to overlook. After all, he wanted to be as crafty as possible. He only had so much to work with, after all.

He shrugged it off, throwing them and everything else back into the bag. Once he was done, he smiled yet again.

_Maybe I have a shot after all._

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcy nestled up in a tree, waiting for the announcement of her death to finally show up. In just a few minutes, everyone would know what she did. Everyone would see how she took down the best contender in the game and see just how powerful she really was.

While staring off into the sky, she lamented to herself over what she had just done.

_I did it. I finally killed someone. I finally proved myself. I finally made my parents proud again._

_...So why do I feel so empty?_

She refused to acknowledge her feelings any longer. It would just lead to others finding out about them, too. And the last thing she wanted was for her weaknesses to be seen.

Besides, she had always felt that way when she accomplished something. Whether it was making it all the way to fifth in her national spelling bee, winning every single talent show she ever competed on, or even being the last alive in her previous game, she never felt any enjoyment from them. Maybe this was the same.

But the feeling of guilt certainly wasn’t.

Her mind was hushed yet again by the announcements. The black, starry horizon was soon broken up by a projection that flashed in the sky.

At first, what sounded a showtune complimenting the fallen victim filled the air, which was much more unique than the simple anthem that played during her game.

Next, the words ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Hunger Games flashed from the projection. Then, finally, the screen cleared as Chip’s portrait appeared before the entire arena.

He stood there, his arms crossed and a cocky grin lighting up his face. Much different from the helpless expression Marcy had seen just before he died. Beside him was a simple line of text just stating his name and his district.

Marcy knew that normally this type of screen wouldn’t be enough to reveal anything to the audience. They would normally live blissfully unaware of her murder.

But she knew for such a short cast that the Capitol would ramp up the stake a bit.

And, as the projection faded into its second part, her suspicions were proven to be correct.

Instead of the headstrong picture from before, what she saw now was a picture of his dead body, taken from one of the many cameras watching their every move. Every wound of the body could be seen in it's full detail.

_Dammit, they included the penis part too._

Finally, in the bottom right of the screen, a different participant appeared. One she saw when she looked in the mirror each night. Beside them, the only words labelled were “killed by: Marcy Park”.

Then the anthem played one last time as the images faded away.

Although it was over, Marcy still stared at the night sky as she contemplated everything she had done.

She had killed someone. And not even in a dignified way. She Lorena Bobbitted him and left him to die. If she witnessed someone else do that, she would of been disgusted with the murder.

And she was. She hated seeing what she had done all because she wanted to fix her past mistake.

The worst part was she knew she’d have to do it again. Maybe not as brutally, but she’d still need to rip the life away from someone and watch as they pleaded for mercy. She couldn’t win if she didn’t.

She really didn’t want to go through with it. She just wanted to take the easy way out and do what she did last time. But then her whole game would be pointless. She would be right back where she started. With her parents scolding her for failing to live up to their legacy for the second time.

The feeling of nothingness returned again. And all it took was a grim reminder of her kill and a small image of her in the bottom to do so.

She tried brushing it off again, pushing it down like every other emotion. But it didn't work. The same, nauseous feeling returned in seconds.

So, she turned to what she could rely on as a last resort.

She clutched the inside of her pocket, pulling out a tiny statue of Jesus. Sighing, she held it closely to her chest, closed her eyes, and prayed.

 

Leaf continued trekking through the forest, dragging Chip’s body behind him. To pass the time, the two were having a lively conversation with one another.

“So that’s what it’s like in your district, Chip?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow! Everyone there sounds so amazing!”

“They really are. Now, how far are we from the camp?”

“A few minutes I think. I dunno, I don’t think I’m smart enough to know exactly-”

“Stop. Don’t say stuff like that.”

“But-”

“You still know where it is. That’s good enough. Now, let’s get back on track. I think we’re almost there.”

Leaving the conversation on a positive note, Leaf smiled and continued his exploration. Moments later, Leaf approached the cliff side where his new home was located. Carrying Chip on his back, he grabbed the rocks and climbed down.

Once he reached the bottom, he found out just what he missed during the storm.

The entire area was trashed. The giant piles of gifts Leaf had received were now reduced to nothing, buried too far beneath the sand to be found. And what little survived the wind was either too broken by the wind or too clogged with sand to be used.

Leaf wandered around, looking for anything he could salvage. Sadly, there was nothing. Dejected, he turned to Chip and did his best to hide the disappointment in his face.

“See? This is what I mean! I’m not even smart enough to keep the stuff people gave to me!”

Chip frowned.

“Don’t be silly. There wasn’t much you could have done anyways. And, hey, I’m sure you’ll be donated something later, anyway.”

Leaf smiled, wanting to believe his friend.

Just then, however, music blared around the arena. Confused, Leaf looked around before facing the projection in the sky, seeing it was the name of the game.

_Cool! I wonder what this is about!_

The text faded, now showing a simple image of Chip and some text beside him indicating who it was. Leaf was a little confused now, but handwaved the situation away.

_Oh! They must be announcing each one of us! And he’s first! Glad to see everyone knows how great he is!_

Leaf was perfectly content with this reasoning, waiting for the next slide to appear and show him everyone else.

What he got instead was a shot of Chip’s dead body, with no injury being uncensored.

Leaf looked at the picture in stunned, horrified silence. He then glanced back at Chip. Unlike the handsome, boyish appearance he usually had, he was now looking... different. His eyes seemed more glazed over. Weird red stains that Leaf were beginning to be more prominent. And his expression seemed much more horrified. 

However, he did what he was already beginning to master: ignoring the issue.

“Wow, Chip! Your prank was so good that even the Capitol thinks you died! Good job!”

Leaf waited for a response with desperation that he would be validated.

Luckily, he got one.

“Heh, yep. Now, you should probably get some sleep. We’ll open any presents we get tomorrow.”

Content with the answer Chip had laid out to him, Leaf regained his optimism and decided to follow his advice. So, wishing his friend goodnight, he lied next to him and fell asleep.

 

Logainne was still following what was once the river as she looked for any sign of water. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, but refused to go to sleep.

_You need to be completely focused, Logainne! You’re not going to survive if you don’t!_

Still, the tiredness was getting to her. Every few moments, she felt her eyes drooping down. Luckily, the smallest of sounds made her alert again, plunging her out of her potential dreams and into paranoia instead.

This time, a jingle woke her from her slumber. She jumped at the sound, ready to flee if she needed to. However, she composed herself and remembered just what that tune was.

_Someone’s died!_

A bit worried, she looked at the sky, ready to see who would no longer be participating in the games.

She was expecting the redheaded boy she talked to the train. Or maybe that odd guy with the “magic foot”. Hell, even that girl she met in the river who nearly killed her.

Not Chip Tolentino.

Logainne was shocked. This was the guy who won last year, the guy who brutally murdered a bunch of people, the guy who was so confident to enter the arena again and do it all over again. And, just like that, he was gone.

_Jesus Christ! How!?_

Her question were answered as soon as the screen transitioned to the next one. However, she soon wished they weren’t.

_I can’t tell if he was in the storm or-_

_That’s… That’s at least forty different stab wounds!_

_Did they… THEY CUT OFF HIS PENIS JESUS CHRIST_

Staring at the gruesome display, Logainne couldn’t help imagine herself in that position. Well, minus the dick part. Dying scared, alone, with only the announcement of her death making it seem important when it really was just one of thousands of others.

_Who.. could do something like this?_

But she didn’t have to wait long until she got that answer, too. Near the bottom of the screen, the newest threat to the game was revealed: a girl named Marcy Park.

Logainne locked eyes with the image before the announcements faded out. She tried memorizing every feature of her. Her dark eyes. Her pigtailed hair. That serious expression. Everything was important if she wanted to avoid her at all costs.

She then analysed the arena, trying to find the best possible route to avoid her. Wrapped up, she began backtracking to find a path she could follow.

As she wandered off, she thought about her emergency plan.

_Hmm… What could I do? What would my dads say to do to help avoid a fight?_

She thought back to her training weeks before her name was cast.

_Logainne! How do you avoid a fight?_

_You hide!_  
  
_Correct! Where?_  
_  
_ _Uh… the trees!_

_Wrong! There may be food there, but no water! You need to hide by a river!_

She froze.

_A river._

Realizing she was moving further and further away from her best possible way of survival, she got back on track, returning to her original search all the while yelling at herself as she moved on.

_Don’t be stupid, Logainne! If you keep doing stuff like this, you’re going to get yourself killed!_

 

Olive continued to sit in the tree, eating the only thing remotely edible she could find: leaves. Although they were bitter and unpleasant, she prayed it would be enough to get her through the night and clinged to her optimism.

_Don’t worry! I’m sure Mom and Dad are going to send something delicious!_

In the back of her mind, she knew she was just lying to herself. But the rest of it still wanted something to hold onto.

Plus, she _really_ didn’t want to go down and risk getting killed.

So, she sat and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After what felt like forever, she finally gave up.

Tears welled up in her eyes. This was the second time her parents had made no indication they wanted to help. She didn't even care about the present anymore. She just wanted them to show her _any_ sign that they wanted their daughter to stay alive.

To comfort herself, her mind decided to do the one thing it could to fix the situation: go into denial.

_Maybe the mail was lost! It'll be here eventually!_

It wasn't much, nor was it very convincing to Olive, but it was all she had at that point.

Caught up in her own thoughts, she was brought out of them by the sky lighting up and a tune playing through the air. With nothing to lose, she sat down and relaxed as the first death flashed onto the screen.

She shivered at seeing Chip’s name announced as the first dead, and even more so when his dead body was shown in full. As the announcement faded out, Olive’s mind was now moving into an entirely different direction.

_Last year’s winner is dead. How is that even possible?_

Sure, the biggest threat in the game was gone, but that just made the game itself that much harder. If someone with experience in the game was still able to die that early, than what would a girl from District 12 who wanted to avoid a fight be able to do? Get killed instantly without a chance to defend herself?

“...Maybe things would be easier if I just fought.”

Olive was startled by what she just absentmindedly muttered.

_No! I can’t do that! I’m ninety-nine percent sure I’ll just be unhappy if I do!_

Then again, she knew she was not much happier now, stuck without food and limiting herself to hiding because she feared she’d die otherwise.

She thought about her family again. Their faces finally being happy again. Them just being together and not in two opposite ends of the world. Olive finally having two people she could be friends with instead of being alone all the time.

Olive looked down below one last time.

It would be easy. She could just sneak out the next morning and ambush someone. Simple as that.

_Maybe then I can be the one percent after all._

 

William still remained in the section where Chip died when the broadcast started. Already knowing what to expect, he tried to ignore it. He didn’t want to see Chip’s face again. And he _really_ didn’t want to be reminded of Marcy’s.

To distract himself from both the announcement and the brutal reminder of the event that ripped his foot away from him, he decided to check his backpack for anything he could use to rectify the situation.

The first thing he pulled out were some weapons. He smiled, thinking about how he could use them to take down Marcy, then becoming the newest threat of the game.

But then he remembered how she could probably kick his ass yet again because he couldn’t walk anymore.

Still, he needed to try _something._

He knew he had to be careful with what he used. One wrong choice and he’d be a corpse. After all, Marcy wouldn’t be so forgiving twice. So, he reviewed everything he took out with careful consideration.

_I could use the spear, but if I miss, someone could just take it…_

_Maybe the gun? ...Nah, I only have so many bullets… Same with the grenades…_

At this point, he was beginning to feel pretty useless again. He couldn’t rely on having a physical advantage, nor could he truly work with his weapons as they were now.

He pulled out more and more supplies until the pack was nearly empty. Still, nothing truly met his needs. Finally, he pulled out the net and wire. With nothing else to lose, he analyzed both.

The net was extremely large, being rolled up just to properly fit it in the bag. It also seemed to be made from a really sturdy material. Not sturdy enough to not be cut, but enough to hold a lot of weight if given the chance.

Meanwhile, the wire was in a large coil. Although it was silvery in colour, when William stretched it out it looked near invisible. Just like the net, it was pretty sturdy, with Will’s attempts to snap off a piece with his hands just bending it.

_A net that can hold a lot of weight and a wire that nobody will spot, huh..._

William began to look at the two objects in front of him in an entirely new way. What was once a waste of room was now his potential ticket to winning.

So, grabbing the sharpest object in his bag, he began cutting the two and started to get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate summary: Leaf and Chip reenact Swiss Army Man, William evolves into Crutchie Morris, and everyone else feels pretty shitty after the announcements. 
> 
> Also, skipping "Why We Like Spelling" because I can't really fit it in. But hey, take this semi-filler chapter before things start to hit the fan again.


	11. My Unfortunate Erection

By the time morning had arrived and the sun began to peek out from behind the horizon, William was finally done. Tired and sore from setting everything up, but done nonetheless. Now all he needed to do was some quick testing.

Crouching down carefully, he placed a crutch into the bed of sand in front of him, eager to know whether everything he had done the previous night was all for naught.

SNAP!

In an instant, it was stolen away by the net that lifted up from underneath the sand, sending debris flying every which way.

Without his crutch, he fell to the ground. But he didn’t care. He had finally found a way to keep himself alive. All he needed was a victim and a weapon to attack with and he’d be one contestant fewer.

_But having my crutch would help, too…_

William struggled to get up again and retrieve what he had just foolishly thrown out of arm’s reach. But he _still_ didn’t care. Victory was just a few steps away. And he was going to hobble there however he could.

 

Olive meekly wandered through the woods, fiddling with the makeshift bat made from a branch of the tree she left behind. Careful to look around and make sure she wasn’t about to be ambushed, her goal continuously echoing through her head as she muttered it quietly to herself. 

“You can do it, Olive. At least try to kill _one_ person.”

It was easier said than done, though. She knew that everyone could be a formidable opponent. Obviously, Marcy Park was dangerous just to be around and the thought of encountering her sent a shiver down her spine. But even that ditzy redhead at the interview could be a potential threat.

She was scared. What chance did a little bookworm from District 12 have against potential powerhouses like the other four?

Still, she didn’t have many choices. She could either continue to hide and pray the others kill themselves off or she could put destiny in her own hands. And she was miserable doing the former.

She moved along, hoping to find any sign of life she could get the upper hand on. Yet all she saw was sand, sand, and nothing but sand.

But, just up ahead, something finally caught her eye.

Underneath the shade of a tree, a backpack leaned off to the side, open with its contents revealed to the world. Weapons that could whittle down the competition. Equipment that could be used to make things more convenient. And, most importantly, food that wasn’t leaves.

She was sold instantly.

Olive slowly approached, careful to avoid alerting the person who had haphazardly left it there.

But as her feet hit an uneven part of the path and she felt a net close in on her, she realized she should of looked down instead.

  
“And… got it!”

William wrestled out his crutch from the net, holding onto the base of a tree for support. With the whole ordeal now over with, he waved it in triumph, silently assuring the audience at home that everything was now alright.

 He tucked it underneath his arm, glad to have his mobility back. And just in time, too, because at that instant the sound of sand shifting from its place and the whirring of a wire lifting something pierced the air.

William grinned. His whole night of work would pay off after all.

He hobbled back to his site, moving as quickly as he could in case the victim dared to try and escape. All he had to do now was grab a weapon from the backpack he used as bait. Then he’d only have three more people in his way.

Knowing he had the upper hand, he allowed himself the comfort to relax and daydream about who it could be.

_It’s gotta be Park! She probably showed up to see if I was dead!_

He continued to hobble, catching sight of a distant, indistinguishable shape of a human attempting to reach out of their new prison.

_Or maybe it’s that weirdo who was talking to Chip’s corpse!_

Both the figure and the weapon they were trying to reach for was beginning to get a bit more clear.

_Hell, maybe it’s-_

He stopped, staring in shock at the girl from the interview.

“...You.”

Olive stopped her attempt to escape and sheepishly pulled her hand back into the net, finally looking face to face with her captor. And she was just as surprised as he was.

_Is that… Barf?_

It was hard to see past the horrible injuries, but sure enough, it was. She couldn’t believe that the boy she had been sitting next to just days before was now reduced to… this.

She didn’t dare say anything, though. Not in the situation she was in. One wrong move and he’d be beating her to death with her own bat.

But maybe he wasn’t as bad as he seemed. After all, he seemed hesitant to move as soon as he laid eyes on her.

All she could really do now was try to win him over and pray it didn’t get her killed.

“Uh… hi! Sorry about your trap! I just kind of-”

“What are _you_ doing here?” he snapped back at her. Immediately, he rushed towards her and grabbed her stick, throwing it into the farthest part of the forest he could.  

 _Well, that failed quickly._  
  
“Oh! Well, I, uh, was just looking for some plants to eat and I, uh-”

“Well, this is a _terrible_ place to look! What the hell were you thinking!?”

“W-Well…”

Her nerves got the better of her and she trailed off.

_Come on, Olive Please just try to do this._

“W-Well,” she continued, slowly regaining her composure as she attempted to lie through her teeth, “there’s… more to it than that. I noticed the backpack but wanted to find the owner. So I could return it and… you know...”

His eyes narrowed, already knowing where this was going.

“...You wanted to ally with me, didn’t you?”

“Um… to put it shortly, yes. It doesn’t have to be for long though! I promise to leave whenever you need me to!”

Seeing her face here was a shock, but her asking for an alliance was even worse. She was an enemy, through and through. The minute she was freed, she’d probably be beating him to death with his own crutch. She couldn’t be trusted! Despite how sweet she seemed... And how inviting her smile was…

_...Then again, I could really use a lackey right about now..._

“Fine,” he told her, beginning to lower the net safely back to the ground, “But listen closely! You try and kill me and you’re going down! Understand!?”

Considering he needed crutches to walk, Olive didn’t quite believe him. However, complying with him long enough was essential if she wanted to survive.

“Thank you so much! I’m Olive Ostrovsky! You’re William Barfay, right?”

“It’s pronounced-”

He paused.

“Wait… what did you say?”

“Barfay. That’s your last name, right?”

“Y-Yeah, that's right...”

He had to admit, he was borderline impressed. He wasn’t going to tell her that, though. Luckily, she cut in before he had the chance to dwell on it any longer.

“Ur, Barf.… is it okay if I call you that, by the way?”

He was baffled by her question. Usually others wouldn’t ask him at all.

“Uh… Okay.”

“Alright! Then, Barf, can we go looking for some food?”

He wanted to tell her about the food in his backpack, but stopped himself. There was no way he was sharing his food with someone he just met.

“Why, yes, of course...”

She smiled with the same, adorable expression, beginning to walk off.

“Okay! Then let’s just-”

Before she could take another step, William dragged her back, just in time for a spear to whiz just where she was standing. Her eyes grew wide and her face grew pale. William, meanwhile, was pissed.

“What are you, nuts!? I rigged this place with more traps than just that stupid net, you know! If you don’t watch where you’re going, you’re probably gonna get shot or stabbed or something!”

Just as his scolding ended, he realized what he had just done. Now _his_ eyes grew wide. He was _this_ close to being closer to winning and he just let it slip by him. What was _wrong_ with him?

Trying to hide his frustration, he remarked “Just… follow me. Only _I_ know how to get out of this alive.”

And so, leading the way as Olive lagged behind carefully, he did.

 

“...And if you switch the first two vowels in the word “Olive”, it becomes “I love”!”

The two had been wandering the forest for a half-hour now and to keep herself entertained, Olive was telling her new ally her twenty-fifth anagram of the day.

“...Are these really the kinds of things you think about?”

She nodded.

“But enough about me! You’ve been listening me go on and on for ages now! Isn’t there anything you want to talk about?”

Had it really been that long? It didn’t feel like it. Unlike life at home or with his fake mom, it didn’t feel like a chore to listen to her. He just naturally focused on the conversation, taking in every new word her mind could come up with.

Though he doubted he’d ever need to know what new sentences “zoonosis” or “chromatophore” formed while in combat.

“Oh, uh, nothing.”

Olive frowned. If she was going to be an ally of his, she at least wanted to learn a bit more about himself. He seemed pretty interesting, after all. But him not telling her anything didn’t mean _she_ wasn’t going to ask.

“In that case, how’s your game been so far?”

His eyes narrowed. What was she trying to do? Remind him just how weak he was now? Try and steal his game plan so _she_ could make it to the finals instead? 

“...What do you mean?”

“Um… It’s just that you’re all injured and-”

“Yeah, well, it’s not that bad of an injury! I can still walk, see!?”

He threw his crutches onto the ground assertively, as if he was above using them. He then triumphantly took a step.

He fell face down to the ground.

Olive knew she shouldn’t of, but she laughed anyway. She couldn’t help it, his dedication with proving himself was actually pretty adorable.

However, she also admired his confidence in himself. Even if he had failed spectacularly, at least he was trying. He was much more impressive than her, anyway. He probably didn’t meekly stand by when he had the chance to make things better.

She walked towards William, who was still trying to get up without using his crutches. Still smitten by his determination, she leaned down and extended a helping hand.

“Here, allow me!”

He looked up at Olive’s smiling face, almost in disbelief. Why was she acting so helpful? He had just insulted her! If he did that back in his own district, it would probably escalate into a fight!  

 “...I can do this myself”, he told her, finally giving in and grabbing his crutches, pulling himself from the ground. What met him back on the surface was the slight trace of hurt on Olive’s face.

The guilt washed over him almost immediately.

“But, uh, thanks anyway, I guess...” he tacked on.

Olive still seemed a bit bummed out, but was now covering it up with a smile.

“It’s no problem, really. I’m more worried about your _other_ injuries.”

“...There’s more?”

“You haven’t noticed? Here, hand me your glasses.”

He did, anticipating her to snap them in half and start kicking him while he’s down. But instead she just turned them over so he could look at his own reflection.

He was a mess. His hair was poking out every which way, some of it tangled with branches and leaves. Wounds from the sand a day prior were all over his body, their blood caked onto his skin. The area around his stab wound was beginning to grow red and puss was seeping out of it. And his nose was runny.

“...Oh god.”

Olive’s expression sank. Did she just upset him? Just because she could possibly be fighting him in the near future didn’t mean she felt pleased seeing him horrified like this.

Her mouth moved faster than her brain and before she knew it, she told him “B-But you must be doing fine if you didn’t notice! In fact, you look pretty good despite your injuries!”

William’s heart stopped dead in its tracks for a few seconds.

“T-Thanks. You too, I guess…”

She giggled for a moment at his small compliment, then went back to telling him her anagrams.

While she was explaining to him all the wonders the word “predilection” had to it, William was beginning to get a bit antsy. Not because he was bored, he could probably watch her keep going for the rest of the day if he wanted to.

But because throughout the entire walk, she’d been doing most of the talking.

Normally, he wouldn’t care, especially in a situation like the one he was in. Dropping his guard could mean possible death. He was foolish enough to do it once before, and he already lost a magic foot for his carelessness.

But he couldn’t help it. The way she pronounced every single anagram. The small chuckles she would do when she used them in a joke. The ways her eyes lit up when she saw him watching her. All of it made him feel… weird. Or, at least, make him want to know a bit more about her.

“So… Ostrovsky… I can, uh, call you that, right?”

She smiled and nodded.

 “‘Kay, Ostrovsky, what was it like back in your home district?”

Although a bit surprised he was asking at all, considering his gruff personality, she politely responded.

“Quiet, mostly! The most that happens is the coal mining, but only my dad does that. I usually just stay home and read my dictionary!”

“Hey, what about your mom?”

Olive froze.

“She’s, um, left on a trip to India...”

“And she didn’t bring you?”

She sadly shook her head.

“Dad says it’s for a spiritual journey or something. He doesn’t really like to talk about it, though...”

“Well, what about you?”

“H-Huh?”

“How does it make _you_ feel?”

Olive was taken aback by the question. She hadn’t really thought about it. She just usually dealt with it. Sure, there were a lot of tears and sleepless nights, but she usually carried on otherwise.

But how did she _really_ feel?

Well, miserable. Miserable that her family just casted her aside and ignored her over and over again. Miserable that her mother was physically absent and her father was emotionally absent. Miserable that-

“Uh… you okay, Ostrovsky?”

Olive snapped back to reality, coming back to a stream of tears running down her face.

She quietly wiped away her tears with a whimper, telling him “I-It’s okay. I was just… thinking about some things. That’s all.”

But William didn’t need to be a genius to know things obviously weren’t okay with his travel partner. So he did what he usually did: ran his mouth off without thinking.

“W-Well,” he stammered, “back at my district, things aren’t any better for me, either!”

Olive stopped walking and looked at him, wide-eyed with curiosity. It wasn’t the usual, malicious curiosity he was used to giving and receiving. It was… peaceful. Simply wanting him to explain himself without the possibility of the wrong answer resulting in her getting mad at him or leaving him altogether.  

It didn’t make him any less terrified, however.

_OH SHIT WHAT DO I SAY WHAT DO I SAY_

“Y-Yeah! I, uh, hate it there! I hate the stupid kids at my school, my stupid dad for the divorce, and stupid Sheila for marrying him! The only thing I like is my _real_ mom Joan!”

“Your… mom?”

She instinctively dug her nails deep into her arms.  

“Yeah!” he replied, his eyes lighting up, “Since the divorce I haven’t seen her very often, but when I do it’s amazing. Unlike _Sheila_ , she’s supportive of me! _She_ thinks I’m gonna become a scientist someday! _She_ thinks that me collecting sea anemone is wonderful and not a complete waste of time! She _also_ thinks I’m gonna grow up to be incredibly handsome!”

“Wow, she sounds great…” Olive replied, her voice failing to keep the pleasant tone she desired.  She tried smiling at William’s success, but it came out forced.

“She really is! The best part is, even while I’m stuck in a place like this, she still has the time to write to me! In fact, a few days back, she even sent me some allergy medication and a letter! Here, I’ll show you!”

William dug through his pockets, quickly finding a damaged piece of folded white paper. He greedily opened it, displaying its contents to her in triumph.

However, it slowly disappears once he saw her face.

Olive continued to smile through forced, gritted teeth. However, what she couldn’t mask with fake smiles were her eyes. Inside them showed no cheerfulness or glee, only remorse. The same remorse she tried to hide moments ago. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been so lucky this time.

But she had been fortunate enough to realize William was beginning to feel remorseful, too.

“...That’s great to see.” she told him in hopes of comforting him, “She must of been so proud of you that you came this far.”

“I, uh, think she would be even more proud that you also came this far. Now she can stop bugging me about having someone to talk to.”

He expected her remorse to continue, but was thrown off guard by the sound of her laughing quietly instead.

“And I can stop worrying about not having a friend! Now c’mon, I think I see some berry bushes up ahead!”

Before William could process what she just said, she began to run off, with him hobbling right behind her.

 

Olive’s instincts proved to be correct, because sure enough, the two arrived at a clearing filled with berry bushes, with those untouched by the sandstorm silently calling out to the two, begging to be picked.

Olive was the first to try and fulfill their request, walking out to the tantalizing treats with excited gluttony. However, this lasted for only a second until William pulled her back by the straps of her overalls.

“What are you doing!?” he exclaimed, half out of frustration and half from worry, “You can’t just run into an area like this all willy-nilly! You’ll get yourself killed!”

She obeyed, feeling a bit stupid about running out into a potential trap yet _again_. William, meanwhile, eyed up the field in suspicion, then lowered his voice to a whisper

“I’ll look around and make sure there’s nothing… unusual out there. You stay here.”

“Okay. But what do I do if they try and kill me instead?”

_Crap. I didn’t think about that._

“Uh… Just throw sand in their eyes and run away really fast.”

“Works for me!”

With that, the two parted ways as William hobbled into the patch. Trying to ignore the pair of eyes nervously watching him and worrying about his safety, he began his search with the first bush he approached.

At first glance, the plant seemed innocuous. Sand covered the top of it like snow and the blackberries growing from it seemed dented, but it looked at peace.

But William could’ve been sure he saw it move.

William’s heart began to beat a mile a minute. With everything to lose he made his move, one hand slowly approached the plant and the other shakily grabbing a crutch like a club.

He then ripped it open.

Nothing was inside.

When he saw this, his heartbeat lessened and was replaced with a sigh of relief. Turning around, he gave Olive a thumbs up, trying to hide how frazzled he was. She nodded in approval before he turned back, ready to repeat the process.

Ripping open bush after bush, he braced himself each time in anticipation of someone striking. But like the first time, all that was there were the fruits growing on the branches. Eventually, the fear was replaced entirely and a sense of repetition stood in its place. He kept checking, finding nothing, giving a thumbs up to Olive, and moving out farther and farther away from her.

 _How did I even get myself into this mess?_ , he thought as he began checking yet another bush, already knowing what wouldn’t be there, _I tell myself I’m not going to work with anyone, and the next minute BAM, I’m out here taking a bullet for someone I barely know. Why am I even bothering to do this? She’ll be dead as soon as the finals roll around, anyways._

_...And I’ll be alone again._

…

_...Still, for a future dead body she isn’t so bad. She’s friendly for one thing. That’s a first. And she has a way with words. I’d listen to her all day if I had the chance. And her eyes! They’re wonderful! Especially when they light up when she’s talking! And that smile! It’s radiant! And her… her…_

He stopped, realizing, in horror, his face was burning and his heart was beating a mile a minute.

_...Oh no._

Before he could come to terms with the strange new feeling he was experiencing, the small, judgmental part of mind resurfaced its ugly head.

_You idiot! You had one job! All you had to do was get in here and kill everyone! And what do you do? Fall in love with some random girl! How could you be so stupid as to let this happen? There’s no way she would ever love you back! In fact, she’s probably just using you! As soon as you outlive your usefulness you’re gonna be body #2! Is that how you want to end up, William? Dead because you fell in love with the only person who tolerated you?_

But maybe he was wrong. He _had_ to be wrong. Why was she smiling at him? Why did she want to know more about him? And why was she bothering to stick by his side? Maybe he could make something out of it. He could rig the game, right? Make it so two could win? He could form a suicide pact or-

_Don’t be stupid! Didn’t you learn anything from Chip’s death?_

He could already picture the body then and there, already beginning to rot and peel away. He even thought of Chip watching from Heaven or burning in Hell, forced to sell candy or some other odd punishment for the rest of his afterlife. His cries of pain rang deep in his mind.

_“Why did this have to happen to me? I was the alpha male, dammit! THE ALPHA MALE!”_

_“This is completely unfair! My penis made me lose!”_

_“That’s it! I’m upping the price for Chewy Goobers!”_

William shivered. He really didn’t want to end up like him. Lying there on the ground, so blinded by preteen hormones that some random girl killed him in the worst possible way.

But he couldn’t just get rid of her. She was a resource. And extra set of hands to help out. An extra set of eyes to look out for danger.

_...Someone to talk to._

He had no other choice. He had to forces himself to push back his feelings or walk a long journey to victory alone.

He continued the rest his search in silence.

As soon as he returned from the bushes, Olive immediately ran up to him with a relieved smile.

“You’re back! I was worried you got killed or something!”

She paused and looked at him with curiosity.

“...Is something wrong? Your face is all red.”

“It’s, uh, allergies.”, he responded, unable to even look him in the eye.

“Oh my gosh, are you alright? We can go back and try and find some allergy medication-”

“I’ve dealt with worse. Anyways, the patch is safe. Pick away.”

“Perfect!” she responded, running to the bush.

However, after a few steps she stopped, turning her head back to him in puzzlement.

“...Aren’t you going to pick anything?”

“Me?”, he scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t need to eat something like berries to live! ...Plus I’m allergic. I’ll stay here and keep watch.”

“Are you sure? What about your foot-”

“My foot is perfectly okay, if _you don’t mind!_ Just make sure not to take too long and I’ll be fine.”

“...Alright. And Barf?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for everything. I’m glad to find a partner like you!”

As she walked off, he felt his face burn again. Being her partner would be a lot harder than he thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU THOUGH THIS STORY WAS DEAD, DIDN'T YOU?
> 
> ...To be fair, so did I. A lack of confidence in the story, general busyness, and this chapter being super long kinda killed the momentum of my uploads. I'd apologize, but knowing myself, this will probably happen again. So double apologies I guess?
> 
> Anyways, because Chip's sort of a rotting corpse right now, I changed the focus of the chapter a bit. Hope you don't mind.


	12. Woe Is Me

Leaf wandered through the forest in a daze. In one hand, he firmly held the left leg of Chip’s corpse, dragging him around like a ragdoll. In the other, he held a large, brown book with the words “SURVIVAL GUIDE” written in bold, black text. His eyes were placed firmly on the words as his face contorted in confusion.

“It’s a shame all I got sponsored today was this book.” he told his friend, his tone of voice much cheerier than it really should have been.

“That’s alright,” Chip told him calmly, “just think of it as a learning experience.”

“...Hey Chip?” Leaf asked, looking away from his book.

“Yes, Leaf?”

“How come you have so much faith in me?”

“What do you mean?”

Leaf’s voice began to shake, yet he still tried to force optimism into it.

“Well… ever since you came back, you’ve been so nice to me. You keep giving me advice. And you’re always being supportive. And- Hey! Is that a broken branch? I wonder how that-”

“Focus, Leaf.”

“Sorry! Where was I? Oh yeah! It’s just that you don’t ever seem to give up on me. My family did long before the game started. And even my sister up and left me during the game! So why are you sticking around?”

With a soft smile, Chip merely replied “Because you’re a lot better than you think you are.”

Leaf’s face erupted into a large, gaping smile.

“Chip, you’re the greatest friend ever!”

“You too, Leaf. Now, try and stay focused. We need to find that river.”

“Right!”

Leaf immediately went back to reading, his confusion now replaced with complete bliss.

 

Ba-bum.

Logainne’s heart raced as she continued her search.

Ba-bum.

She had been walking all night, her legs sore and her eyes barely staying open.

Ba-bum.

And throughout the entire search, she had still found nothing.

 _C’mon, Logainne_ , she pleaded to herself as she fought through her drowsiness, _just a bit further. Once we get there, we’re-_

_CRASH!_

The loud sound rattled through the forest. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she bolted as far across the river landscape. As the sand crunched from beneath the soles of her shoes, her thoughts tried just as hard to catch up with her.

She thought back to the weeks leading up to the game. Her and her two dads were alone at the beach, with her two parents drilling advice into her.

 _“Logainne, are you insane!?”_ Carl Dad sharply replied, _“Didn’t you listen to what I said about running away from a distant noise!?”_

_“...I get to live another day?”_

Placing a calm and reassuring hand on his husband’s shoulder, Dan Dad added _“What your father is trying to tell you is that you have to be weary, but not panicked. It could be a trap to see if anyone’s around. As soon as you start running, you’re like a deer to a hunter.”_

With this memory coming back to light. Logainne halted. That is, until a new thought popped into her mind.

 _What if they were wrong? They_ have _to be wrong! If I just stood there, I’d be a much easier target!_

Unknowingly, she began to pace.

 _But what if_ I’m _wrong? What if I start to run and immediately get killed by an arrow or something!?_

Ba-bum

_But do you remember seeing that advice in any of the books you read? Or in the interviews? I don’t think so!_

Ba-bum

_Then again, why would the winners reveal their trade secrets? If Chip Tolentino ran around telling everyone how to win, he would of died much sooner!_

Ba-bum

_MAKE A DECISION ALREADY, LOGAINNE!_

“Uh…”

Logainne heart nearly stopped. She quickly whipped her head to where she heard the sound.

Directly across from her stood an odd-looking boy. His red hair was a tousled mess, holding twigs and leaves and God knows what else. His red cape was tattered, possibly from the storm. In one hand, a book was spread open. He seemed to be holding something else in the other, but it was hidden by the shadows

The two stood frozen, locked into each other’s eyes. The boy made the first move, attempting to run back into the forest.

“Wait!” Logainne cried, her mouth acting faster than her brain for once, “I’m not going to kill you!”

Curiously, he turned back to her. She raised her arms and opened her palms, showing him she had no weapons.

Reassuringly, she added “If anything, the only person I want to kill is the one who came up with this game.”

The redhead seemed touched. Slowly, he made his way from the forest to the beach. His one hand continuing to hold the now-closed book. The other-

_OH MY GOD._

In the other hand, the boy held the leg of Chip Tolentino’s corpse. The blood that was so vivid on the announcements was now caked to his body and crusted. His body was bloated, leaking out yellowish puss is the redhead dare so much as bruise his skin upon the forest floor. His eyes, once so full of vigor, were now as glassy as marbles while the rest of his face sagged down into an eternal scream. And, worst of all, his pants had a bloody, gaping hole in between his legs.

Despite the gruesome display of human brutality the boy was holding, he wasn’t fazed in the slightest. He continued down right to where Logainne was standing, let go of the leg, and wrapped his arms around her body.

“Oh my gosh!” he cheered, oblivious to Logainne’s shocked expression from his sudden kind gesture, “It’s so nice seeing a friendly face for once! My name is Leaf! Leaf Coneybear!”

“I’m, uh, Logainne.” she told him, regaining her composure, “Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre!”

“Logainne Schwartz-and- _W_ _ha_ _ts_ it?” he replied with a perplexed chuckle.

“It’s the amalgamation of my dad and my other dad’s last names!”

He looked at her, bewildered.

“...Of course, people usually just call me “Schwarzy” for short.”

“Ooh, I like it! Say, have you met my friend Chip?” he asked, gesturing to the corpse on the ground, “C’mon Chip, say hi!”

Logainne stared at Leaf in horror, hoping it was just some strange practical joke he was trying to pull on her. Any second now, he would burst out laughing and say he was kidding, that he was just dragging the body of a murdered contestant around for a sick laugh at others expense.

But no. He just stood there, continuing to smile and waiting for the husk of Chip Tolentino to respond.

“Oh, he must be shy!” he told her, “How about you try instead?”

_This guy is insane._

She looked at the corpse, trying to hide her uneasiness.

“Hi, I’m Logainne…” she told it, attempting to remain composed while not throwing up from the scent.

Silence.

“He says it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Leaf replied.

_I’m sure he did._

“So, Miss Schwarzy,” he continued unprompted, “is it okay if we stay the night with you?”

He must of seen the disbelief on Logainne’s face, because he immediately shot back with “Please! It’s been so lonely with just Chip and me! Just one night! I’ll do anything you ask!”

Logainne’s mind went into overdrive. Sure, the guy was a corpse-conversing weirdo, but she could tell he was being genuine. He wasn’t a bad guy, just… an _odd_ guy. Plus, from reading the biographies of the great game-winners like William Lapine or James Finn, working in a team was usually a good strategy so long as they didn't grow attached. And considering Leaf was less like Albert Einstein and more like Bozo the Clown, Logainne had a feeling she wouldn't abruptly fall in love with him. 

“...Anything?”

“You know it! Just say the word and I’ll do it!”

“...What does that book of yours say about finding food?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was close to going down and Logainne, as usual, was tense. Sitting with her hands around her knees, she listened fearfully to the sounds of the forest. Periodically looking over her shoulder, she gathered a handful of branches she collected hours prior and threw them into the fire.

She didn’t have time to appreciate the warmth, the beauty of the orange and yellow flames, nor the almost-mosaic ring of stones she decorated the exterior with. She had things to worry about. Like the people hunting in the dead of night. Soon she could be dead. And maybe Leaf as well. And also-

“I’m back!”

Logainne nearly screamed, but cupped her hands over her mouth before any sound could escape. In the sunset, she could just make out Leaf standing in between some trees just entering the riverside. Luckily for her, Chip’s body stayed hidden in the shadows.

"I found some berries!" he called out quietly. Patting his jacket pocket as he left the forest’ depths, he added “This was all I could fit in here! I hope that’s okay!”

“Save them for later,” she told him, regaining her nerves. “We can use them as last-minute rations if something happens to us.”

“Good idea!” he told her as he walked to the fire, propping up Chip on a piece of driftwood before sitting beside him, “You’re so smart!”

Smiling, she responded “Thanks, but I would've never thought of that myself! Everything I’m doing is because of my two dads! They kept training and training me until I remembered what to do! Even when I wanted to vomit because of the stress of my stress, they kept me going! Hi dads!”

She waved to the sky, hoping her dads back at home were watching her at that very moment.

“Woah, sound tough!” he proclaimed, impressed, “I could never do something like that! I bet your days off are really nice, then!”

“...People have those?”

Leaf looked shocked. 

"Don’t you ever want to hang out with your friends and stuff?”

“Well, sometimes…”

She responded almost ashamed and saddened by her own routine. However, she regained her composure and shot back, with confidence, “But friends can wait! What I’m doing is for a good cause!”

Leaning in closer to Logainne, excitement trickled into Leaf’s voice as he asked “Ooh! Like what? Are you like one of those… Uh… What’s the word for a person who try to make the world a better place?"

“...An activist?”

“Yeah! Are you one of those?”

Growing pale, Logainne’s heart began to beat rapidly once again. She knew she shouldn’t keep going. The county was watching her every action she made, looming over her from far away with judgement, almost like the gods she read about in her books. However, Leaf’s face was so… trusting. He looked at her without hate or prejudice, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm over just who she was. No matter if the information was insignificant or controversial, he sat there with, hanging onto his dead friend and waiting with bated breath.

So she told him.

“Well… kinda. There’s a lot of stuff I’m involved with outside of this game, but that’s not why I’m doing this!”

She took a deep breath, trying to control her trembling hands.

“I-I… don’t want to disappoint my dads! They’ve worked so hard to get me here! If I don’t win, then I’m not just going to die! I’m going to die a loser!”

Leaf looked at her with sympathy, with a sad frown she never expected to see on him.

“...What are you going to do?”

Logainne wasn’t so sure herself.

The words rushing out of her mouth before she could stop herself, she responded.

“Just… hide. Let this entire thing blow over. If everyone kills themselves in the commotion, then I don’t have to participate!”

Logainne’s face contorted in anger and disgust, her voice rising as her words slowly filled with more and more venom.

“All they’re doing is praising the corruption of man! They watch as those fighting either die horrifically or live to become a shell of their former self, forever stained with the blood of innocence and lost lives on their hands! You saw that Marcy Park girl, right? She’s already been molded by the government to be a killing machine! She’s been in here twice and already mercilessly killed Chip Tolenti-”

Logainne trailed off with the horrified realization of the words she just spilled out. Hundreds, if not thousands of people had just watched her go off on them about the very way they led their life. What little respect she may of had to them had suddenly vanished, with whatever sponsorship she had coming with them. She felt a flash of anger at herself for ruining her own reputation, something only halted by her next thought. 

Just as bad, she had just told her new partner the harsh reality of his friend. Who knows how he would react? Would he go into a psychotic, homicidal rage for daring to break his reality? Would he realize everything and break down into hysterics? Logainne had to prepare. There had to be a quick exit-

“What are you talking about?”

Logainne froze and watched him like a wounded gazelle eyeing up the lion about to kill it. However, no tears and flashes of anger appeared on his face. He continued to sit, a goofy smile on his face.

Pointing to Chip’s corpse, he proclaimed with a tinge of forced cheerfulness “Chip’s sitting right here, as healthy as ever!”

Chip sat silent, with only the sound of flies buzzing over him and maggots swarming his orifices providing any sort of acoustics.

“See? He’s fine! It was all a big ol’ joke he pulled! He told me that himself!”

Logainne nodded, forcing a smile as broken as Leaf’s sense of reality.

“Anyway!” he continued, shooing away the subject as quickly as possible, “I hope your plan works! If I tried it, I’d probably be found and killed in no time! But that’s just me! Do you think you can do it?”

Logainne looked into the fire. For once, she felt like what she truly was: a scared little girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders.

“I’m… not sure. But I know I _have_ to.”

Silence filled the air. Logainne continued to stare into the fire, her breaths small and shallow.

“...Leaf, If I tell you something, can you promise you’ll never say it to anyone?”

Although she tried to sound adult, her voice came out shaken and scared. Leaf didn’t notice, instead being busy contemplating the deal, his hand rested on his chin and staring downward.

“Can I tell Chip?”

Logainne stared at Chip. He continued to sit there, with the only signs of life being the flies and maggots crawling on his skin.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Okay then!”

Eyeing up the invisible cameras in worry, Logainne leaned in next to his ear, a hand cupped over her mouth to help conceal her words.

She hesitated. Maybe she was making a mistake. Maybe he’d blurt everything out as soon as she told him. Maybe the Capitol would hate her more than they did already.

But he was the only one who ever bothered to listen.

So, she did what she knew she shouldn’t have done: spoke.

“My dads… are going to lose everything if I don’t win.”

Her voice began to tremble, tears beginning to roll down her face.

“My home district already thinks they’re freaks. I always hear whispers on the streets or petty remarks from my friends. They say that they’re sinning when they stay together. There was already plans of exiling them to District 12. Stripping them of everything they ever did. They already did it to my mom when she was caught dating another girl.”

She paused, continuing with a strained, happy tone.

“But if I win, we don’t have to worry anymore! We can live in the Capitol, with all of America loving us! I just can’t make any mistakes-”

She was stopped by Leaf suddenly pulling her close to him. Wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly, she noticed his eyes growing watery.

“You can do it, Schwarzy! And even if you can’t, I’ll do it for you!”

“...Really?” she asked. Her voice was small and quivering, yet underlined with a small amount of optimism. 

“Yeah! That’s what friends are for, aren't they?"

He released her, wiping away one of his own tears as both tried to maintain composure. Throwing in a goodhearted chuckle, he remarked "Now no more crying! Life's too short to be sad! You and me, we have a sunset to watch!”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two sat, silently watching as the final lights the day brought disappeared behind the horizon. While Leaf wrapped an arm around Chip and blabbed on about God-knows-what, Logainne just took the time to relax.

Despite countless drilling from her dads to not trust anyone, she had grown moderately comfortable with Leaf. He wasn't the  _perfect_  companion, but one she didn't mind spending the night with. Though she still didn’t know if he was sane or not, nor did she share any of his goals, they had something in common. They were both stuck in a situation that nobody ever wanted thrust upon them.

However, he had been taking things so much better. She had been spending the entire game in a frenzied panic. And once the night was over, she would _continue_ the game in a frenzied panic. But not him. He had been spending the night acting like he was still back in his home district. Her and Chip were treated as two close friends, not people who could kill him at any moment. 

As she stared off into the sky, she wondered if that was how normal kids felt like. If they could just hang out with people they considered friends, free from the long hours of training, the constant feeling of persecution from everyone her family passed, and the deadly consequences of failure looming down on her. 

Because, for the first time in her life, she felt like she was experiencing just that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I apologize for another dry, dialogue-heavy chapter but ehhh, two of these three haven't had time to shine for months now, while one of them had a bit part in the last chapter more out of obligation than anything.
> 
> On a side note, I had way too much fun writing the gross descriptions of Chip's body. I fully blame my love for murder mysteries for that one.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah buddy, posting at 3 in the morning because I have no self control! 
> 
> I shamelessly stole the idea from [this post](https://john-loves-broadway.tumblr.com/post/80985718490/goddamn-wouldnt-the-25th-annual-panem-wide) and just kind of ran with it. I'll probably be deviating from it a bit, but I wanted to credit anyways as to not seem like too much of an asshat.


End file.
